The Ripple Affect
by xiiao
Summary: To throw a rock into a pond, is to disturb the water. To throw a rock into a pond is to cause a ripple and affect the rest of the water. Eriol, a loner, an outcast. Tomoyo is the only one to try and be his friend.. The affects? [ E+T. COMPLETE!! ]
1. Prologue

The Ripple Affect  
By: Xiao  
  
-- Prologue --  
  
'Oh, dandy! You expect to come to a school and be welcomed by everyone, yet you find that everyone is already happy with their groups and not accepting new members. Everyone belongs to something, which makes you the outcast. Well, at least at my old school we welcomed the new kid. And at least the new kids over there don't have to go through what I am going through now. ' '  
  
'I suppose the only good thing about this is the fact that there is one guy who seems to be like a guy from my old school. Dark blue hair, matching eyes, glasses. Maybe if I'm lucky he could actually turn out to be like someone from my old school. But who knows, he's probably in his own group. Yeah. I bet you he is pretty popular, well, after all, the Xavier was popular. But who knows, that blue haired guy isn't Xavier. But it doesn't seem to make a difference if that guy is popular or not, just looking around the hallway you can tell that EVERYONE is in a group. I bet you that there isn't even another outcast like me. I bet you they haven't even ever had a new kid here, 'cause they're all in a group! If there was another new kid, they would probably be an outcast like me.'  
  
She sighed and let her head drop, her arms wrapping around her chest. This was hell, she had decided. 'Now, my dear Tomoyo, you are destined to sit alone at lunch, talk to no one, and live in complete and utter hell. The outcast! What a lovely title.' She lifted her own sapphire eyes as she grabbed a tray between her pale digits and made her way down the lunch line. Silently, she paid, and then went into the lunch hall. Not many people were there, and the rest were in view from the window. Everyone sitting in clumps, eating and talking and doing whatever just happened to be on her mind.  
  
'What did you expect, Tomoyo? Of course everyone is in their groups just as you knew they--' Her own sapphire eyes locked onto the blue haired, blue eyed with glasses boy. There he sat, alone, reading a book. She had even stopped dead in her tracks and just stared.  
  
'Impossible.'  
  
'It's just not right, he's supposed to be in his own group.'  
  
'He's supposed to be the guy who everyone loves, just like Xavier was.'  
  
'I'm supposed to be the only one going through complete and utter hell.'  
  
'I'm.. not the only one?'  
  
'No! He.. He.. Just no one has sat with him yet. They're all still in the lunch line!'  
  
She looked behind her, at the door to the line. No one stood there, and slowly the lunch ladies were cleaning everything up, and then one of the women came to the door and quietly shutting it, showing that there was no longer any food to be served to them. Tomoyo slowly looked back at him, and with a slow deep breath, shook her head lightly and began walking slowly over to his table.  
  
'Well, here is your time to shine. Here is your time to make a friend, and lose yourself and his of that horrible title of being an outcast. Just act like your normal self, and then he'll warm up and you and him will be friends. Nothing can go wrong now, since everything bad has just faded away with one glance.'  
  
She stopped dead in her tracks, a few feet behind him, her eyes locked on his wrist as she saw him turn a page in his book. His sleeves had been rolled up, and a few lines of red dashed neatly across. 'What the hell is going on…' 


	2. Chapter I

The Ripple Affect  
By: Xiao  
  
` This is AU and OOC, by the way. `  
  
-- Chapter I --  
  
'Just ignore it, it's probably not what you think, Tomoyo.' She took in one more quiet breath and made her way to the side of him, and pulled the chair out with her foot before taking her seat. "Hey. Mind if I sit with you?" She asked, offering him a friendly smile. She watched as he shook his head, and without even glancing at her, slowly rolled his sleeve back down, so discretely that Tomoyo didn't even notice him doing such a thing.  
  
"Your name is," she paused as she thought back to her class when Matsuki-sensei had called upon him to answer a question. "Eriol Hiiragizawa, right?" She was already sure that she had his name correctly, and feeling a bit accomplished with that task, let herself relax slightly.  
  
"Yes. You're Tomoyo Daidouji, and in fact, you are the new comer to our school, and specifically, one of my classes." She tensed up as she realized that he wasn't going to make this easy on her. Perhaps, if she wanted to be his friend, then she'd have to prove it and make it worth while. "You just moved here from England." He added.  
  
She nodded lightly. "Well, it's good to know that someone paid attention when I was speaking. I could of sworn that everyone was either dead or slowly drifting there, with all those dazed looks on their faces." She caught him taking a glance up at her, before quickly going back to his book. 'He has such gorgeous eyes..' she thought, as she continued her speaking. "It's weird because it's nothing like my old school, because when we had a new kid everyone wanted to be their friend and show them around and everything. I suppose it was a little frustrating at first, but at least people wanted to be around you, and there weren't many outcasts because of it." She winced at her choice of words.  
  
"There's aren't many outcasts here." He stated, as he took a glance around the lunch hall. Every other table had been filled to the brim with students, and then there he and Tomoyo say, two at one table. Most likely the only outcasts.  
  
"Well, why don't you hang out with anyone?" She said.  
  
"Why aren't you hanging out with them?" He shot back, coolly.  
  
"Well," she paused, biting her bottom lip for a second. Why did she decide to hang out with him instead of everyone else? It was probably because everyone else didn't want her, but she didn't want to tell him that. Instead, it had to be that he reminded her of one of her old friends. "You look like one of my old friends, and anyway, at least now we can actually be friends, instead of just being a person in a huge group."  
  
Eriol shook his head, slightly sighing. He folded the corner of the page in his book and shut it calmly before setting her hands on it and looking over at Tomoyo. "Just trust me, you don't want to be friends with a guy like me."  
  
"Why not? You seem perfectly fine, just like everyone else here." She said, as she decided that the food she had received wasn't looking too appetizing and quietly turned behind her chair and tossed it into the trashcan, before taking her seat again. She folded her arms and leaned forward onto the table.  
  
"Looks aren't everything." She had nothing to say in response to that. Eriol grunted lightly, and looked around at everyone, who were occasionally giving him and Tomoyo looks. "It's about how you act, talk, do your school work, and probably what your house and family and everything is like. A lot of these shitty groups want perfection, and if you're anything lower then to hell with you. It's not just looks, Tomoyo. And you hanging around me is going to give you a bad reputation." He shook his head, as if taking everything into consideration on her behalf. "Doesn't matter how you act, or talk, or how you do your school work, or what your family is like, and your house, or even how pretty you are. Doesn't matter how perfect you are, just hanging around a guy like me is going to make everything think less of you."  
  
She raised an eye brow lightly, as if wondering where he got that idea. If she wanted to be his friend, then why did everyone else matter? "And if you don't care about what other people think of you, what then?"  
  
"It's not just the students, either. You don't want to have to share the hell I'm going through," he stood up and grabbed his book and took a glance at the clock, realizing that the bell was about to ring, symbolizing certain classes and this lunch period were over and that the five minute passing period would begin. "Just don't hang out with me. I'm sure you deserve better, anyway." He said, as the bell erupted and, what seemed like, everyone stood up in time and left.  
  
She sighed, frustrated. 'What the hell does he mean.. It's my choice to be putting myself in a situation like this. And even if what he says is right, it will just affect me, and not him, so why should he care?' Tomoyo stood, and grabbed her things before pushing her way through the crowd until she made her way to the hallway and found Eriol making his way to his next class.  
  
"Listen to me for a second!" She said as she grabbed him by the shoulder and swiftly caught her gaze with his. "Whatever happens in result shouldn't affect you because it happens to me. Please, Eriol, just give me a chance, okay?" She said, almost pleading to him. She couldn't understand why though, she probably could just get into another group if she put her mind to it, but there was something about him that she just couldn't give up.  
  
He shook his head, and took her hand off his shoulder before walking a few feet and entering his classroom, leaving Tomoyo to be annoyed by herself. She shook her head, decided that she wasn't going to give up on him. After all, everything he said couldn't be true, right? She came to the conclusion that she would soon find out.  
  
For a moment, she dug her hand into her skirt pocket and pulled a neatly folded piece of paper. She looked down at the sloppy handwriting of one of the teachers and shook her head, her own dark lavender tresses swinging back and forth with her motion. "Fourth period," she read, her finger slowly tracing the word. "Choir." She grinned, and folded it neatly before putting it back in her skirt pocket.  
  
Music had always been a thing she could easily get. For as long as she could remember, she had always had solos in the concert, usually got main leads in musicals, and was always loved by the teacher because of her voice. Singing had always been a soothing thing in her eyes, a way to express the inexpressible, thus she sang a lot. It was a way to get out how she felt and enjoy doing it at the same time.  
  
"Class," she heard the teacher begin as Tomoyo came to the doorway. The bell had already rang, but considering she was new to the school, it would be an easy excuse to use, not that she liked be late, especially to choir. Being late meant you missed out on something, from music to an important note from the teacher about the test next Friday, which happens to be 25% of your overall grade. "We will be having a new student in our choir class. She has just moved here from England and I am expecting that you all will treat her nicely. Ah, look, here she is." The teacher smiled as Tomoyo opened the door. "This is Tomoyo Daidouji, class." The teacher walked to the girl and rested her hand on Tomoyo's shoulder.  
  
"Now, Tomoyo, dear," the teacher said as the rest of the class began to erupt in some random wave of talking. "Since I haven't received any note from your previous teacher about what singing level you are, would you mind staying near the piano with me as we warm up."  
  
"I don't mind." She smiled, happy that she would be able to be heard from her teacher, and hopefully get a nice reputation with her.  
  
"Alright. Everyone, quiet down. Warm ups." She raised her hand, and most of the students instantly looked at the teacher and stood up from their seats. A few moments later, everyone had stood and was quietly waiting for the piano to began to play. The class began to sing 'doe, rae, me, fa, so, la, ti, doe. Ti, la, so, fa, me, doe.' The second round, the piano brought the tempo a bit faster.  
  
"Doe, rae, me, fa, so, la, ti, doe. Ti, la, so, fa, me, doe." Tomoyo began with the rest of the class as the second round began. The teacher took a side glance at Tomoyo and gave her an approving smile as the rest of the class continued. Tomoyo smiled in return, and looked around the class as she sang, noticing that a few girls in the front row were glaring at her.  
  
The warm ups continued as they switched from doe, rae, me, fa, so, la, ti, doe to various warm ups. After at least ten minutes, the teacher stood and pointed to a seat on the top row, between a raven haired girl and a red haired girl. "A soprano, I see." She grinned, and Tomoyo quietly went to her spot and stood between the girls.  
  
---  
  
At the end of the class, Tomoyo pulled out her schedule and ran her finger across as the rest of the class piled out of the door. She noted that she now had drama, and then walked down the carpet steps and wished the teacher a good day.  
  
She quickly walked down the hallway, already knowing where the classroom was, considering she had passed it on the way to Choir. She had been one of the first students in the door, and went straight to the teacher and introduced herself. As the class piled in, the bell rang and the teacher introduced her. Tomoyo basically ignored the words that the teacher had spilling out of her mouth, and scanned the room and the faces. "Tomoyo?" She continued and ignored the teacher, as her eyes caught Eriol's, sitting in the back of the room. "Tomoyo?"  
  
She shook her head lightly, and took one more glance at Eriol before looking at the teacher. "Sorry. Yes?" The teacher then asked her if she knew anyone in the classroom, and then Eriol looked up and sighed lightly as he realized that she was going to say that she knew Eriol. "I know Eriol."  
  
"Ah! Splendid!" The teacher said, oblivious to Eriol's reputation. "Eriol is a very good actor. Why don't you go sit next him, and we'll start class." Tomoyo nodded lightly, and walked to the back of the class and took a seat next to Eriol. As she did so, students slowly muttered amongst themselves and gave her weird looks, as if to say, 'why do you bother with that loser?'  
  
"I told you not to bother with me," he whispered, not even looking at her. Tomoyo took a side glance at him and shook her head lightly, ignoring his comment and just directing her full attention to the drama teacher, who had just instructed that each student get with a partner. Tomoyo smiled and gazed at Eriol. He sighed, and shook his head.  
  
"No." He mumbled as everyone stood up, and quickly went to one of their friends, or their best friend. Tomoyo rolled her eyes, and pulled him up. He grunted, and stood, not at all happy with this decision, and thus, began to mumble 'why can't I just work alone like always?'  
  
She pushed him, slightly, but not enough to make him move what so ever, and received a glare from him. "You can't work alone, I'm assuming, because now we have an even number in this class, am I right? Previously you probably worked alone because there was an odd number." She smiled, almost in a joking way.  
  
"Okay! Everyone have a partner? Okay, good! Anyway, as everyone knows we have been practicing to perform certain scenes from Romeo and Juliet." A few of the students, who had same sex partners, gave the teacher and uneasy look, as if already expecting what she was going to say next. "And, I would like to be the one to announce that you and your partner will be performing scenes from the play!" Two of the boys in the front instantly gagged, as if the teacher had asked them to kiss each other, most likely thinking of the scenes with just Romeo and Juliet. "I hope you're happy with your partners, because you will be drawing scenes out of a hat, and cannot change them. It's fate, my friends. And if by some, "misfortune" you and your parent are of the same gender and you get a scene with Romeo and his love Juliet, that is just too bad, you'll just have to make it work!" The same too guys gagged again, and a few girls sighed lightly, and looked at their partner in disgust.  
  
"See." Tomoyo pointed out, as she looked around the classroom as the teacher went around with a black top hat, which carried slips of paper that gave the act and specific scene (or page numbers) that they would be performing. "At least you don't have to be two people performing when you are only one person. And also, be happy because if we get the ending scene, it has a kiss. At least you'll be kissing a girl, and maybe if you weren't with me, you would of kissed a guy!"  
  
The teacher came around and held out the black top hat, and Eriol quietly put his hand into the hat, and ran his fingers through the white papers, specifically at the bottom before coming a slip of paper that he hoped would be a good choice to perform. He pulled it out and handed it to the teacher, without even looking at it. She smiled happily. "Ah! This will be a lovely scene for you two! Yes, it is the scene when--"  
  
---  
  
"I'm home!" Tomoyo rang cheerfully as she walked into the house, before setting her bag down at the side and slipped off her shoes, and placing them aside. Quietly, one of the maids came to meet her and quietly took her things and led her into the kitchen, where her mother sat, sipping some hot tea.  
  
"Please have a drink, Miss. Daidouji," the maid said politely and offered her a cup of steaming tea. Tomoyo politely refused, and then the maid exited leaving the mother with her daughter. Tomoyo took a seat across from her, and smiled. The mother smiled in return.  
  
"So, how was your day, Tomoyo?" She asked.  
  
"It was fine."  
  
"That's wonderful. If you want, I'm sure Sakura would love to hear from you back in England--"  
  
"Oh! Thank you!" She smiled as she got out of her chair and ran up the stairs, nearly knocking over a maid who was caring some clean laundry. The maid, which had been one of Tomoyo's closest friends (despite being older than her), went to her mother and asked how her day had been. Being informed by how it was fine, she smiled and continued to take the clean laundry to it's respected room and place.  
  
She quickly dialed in the phone number to Sakura Kinomoto's house and pressed the phone to her ear eagerly as she listened to the dead toned ringing. She smiled and fell backwards onto her comforter as she heard her best friend pick up the phone. "Sakura!" She said, already excited. She hadn't spoken to Sakura for two weeks during their move from England to Japan (Tomoyo was of Japanese decent, but had moved to England when she was little, because of her father's job. Their parents had divorced and thus Sonomi, Tomoyo's mother, insisted that they move back to Japan because of it being where Tomoyo had been born)., which had been very lonely indeed. "Oh my stars, I've missed you!" She said immediately afterward.  
  
"I've missed you, too! Really, it is so dull in England now!" Sakura replied back, equally happy, which was told her soft and girly voice. Sakura's mother had been best friends with Tomoyo's mother, and so when Tomoyo's father decided to move to England, the Kinomoto family followed. Sakura's father hadn't moved back with Sonomi because of the work he had been accomplishing in England, which was much better pay and easier in England than in Japan.  
  
"Really? Well, guess what!" Tomoyo said, so loudly that her mother had glanced up the stairs, as if expecting Tomoyo to come running down to say something to her. "You remember Xavier, right? Well, I when I was at school today, I found this guy who looked exactly like him! I was so surprised! What are the chances of that?!"  
  
"You're kidding me!" Sakura said. "You mean exactly? Does he have black hair, blue eyes and glasses? About our height?"  
  
"Well, he has dark blue hair, but still. You want to know the downfall of the whole thing though?" Sakura didn't respond and just waited for Tomoyo to continue in what she was saying. With a sigh, she sat up and pressed her back against the pillows near her headboard and crossed her feet over each other. She took a glance at the nightstand which held a picture of Sakura, Tomoyo, Xavier, and one of their old friends, Xiaolang. "He is nothing like him. I mean, I want to be his friend and he kept saying how I shouldn't hang around someone like him! He's a loner or something, and so am I, so I was trying to be nice, but he doesn't want me to be!"  
  
"Aw! I'm so sorry, Tomoyo.. I'm sure things will get better."  
  
"I hope so," she said as she looked down at her toes, and wiggled them lightly. "But, I'm sure they will, too, because he's in my drama class, too. We're all performing scenes from Romeo and Juliet, you know the play, right? Two of the family's hate each other yet Romeo and Juliet fall in love, and then after one kiss they kill themselves? Well, Eriol is my partner for that, because he's the only person I know in that class, but we got the scene where--" The vacuum turned on downstairs, as the maid began to vacuum the pure white carpet.  
  
"Really?!" Sakura said, happily at the choice they had received. The vacuuming had stopped a moment earlier. Tomoyo giggled lightly. "That's going to be a good scene, Tomoyo. And knowing you, you should be able to make it great. I'm sure that you and Eriol will become friends during that, too, because how can you work with someone you hate?!"  
  
"Oh, I don't think he hates me.. I think maybe he just prefers to be alone. He said something about how he didn't want me to go through the hell that he's going though, with him. Maybe he's just trying to do what's best for me?" She said, already a little confused on why Eriol didn't her to be around him.  
  
"Well, who knows. You'll find out soon enough, right?"  
  
"Yeah." She turned her head as she heard her mother open the door to her room.  
  
"Tomoyo, we're going to go out to eat tonight. You can call Sakura another day, because I need you get ready as soon as possible. Tell Sakura I said hello, as well." Sonomi said, smiling. Her daughter smiled as she told her best friend that her mother had said hello, and then promised she would call her again and said good-bye.  
  
She stood up as her mother exited, and one of the maid's entered to help her decide on a nice outfit. "So, I see your day was fine, Miss Daidouji." The girl smiled. She had been in her early twenties and had long, black, curly hair, with a pair of soft jade eyes. She stood a few inches taller than Tomoyo. The girl had been like an older sister that Tomoyo never had, and so Tomoyo treasured their friendship.  
  
"Stop calling me 'Miss Daidouji,' Rae-Lynn. And yes, my day was fine. I'm sure things can only get better from now on, as well." She said, as Rae-Lynn handed her an outfit. Tomoyo smiled, as her phone call had set her in high spirits. Yes, everything had to get better from now on. Surely, Eriol would give in and let fate take it's place. Well, at least that's what Tomoyo wanted to happen. 


	3. Chapter II

The Ripple Affect  
By: Xiao  
  
` Remember this is an AU and OOC. I added Syaoran as Eriol's brother, but only used the name. `  
  
-- Chapter II --  
  
"Well," Tomoyo's voice rang in as she entered the abandoned hallway, where she found her new locker assignment, which was right next to his. With a faint smile, she looked at him, while he ignored her gaze and continued to put his things away and gather what would be needed for class. "Fate seems to be taking it's toll. Speaking of which, are you going to give in anytime soon, because I'm not."  
  
"Relentless." He commented with a sigh, without taking a glance at his new dark lavender haired stalker. She took a side-glance at him, and frowned lightly, decided that she really didn't want him to hate her, and by the tone in his voice, he just might hate her right now.  
  
"Ah," she said, as she pulled her books from the small crème colored locker and looked at him. "Listen, I'm sorry, it's just I want to be your friend and your making it really hard."  
  
"A challenge should be nothing for Tomoyo Daidouji, but maybe this one is out of your league." He said, as he quietly shut the door and made his way down the hallway to the room of his first class of the day. She trailed a few feet behind him.  
  
"You know, the last you could do is tell me a real reason why I don't want to hang out with a guy like you." She finally said, causing him to stop dead in his tracks, his pale digits gripping his binder a bit tighter. He took a moment to sigh, and then nodded slightly, signalizing that he would tell her sometime, and then entered the classroom. Tomoyo still trailed at his feet, since this had been her first class as well. "So, how about after school today?"  
  
"Yeah, that's fine." He said as he took his seat at the back of the classroom, while Tomoyo took her own right in the front row. "I guess." He added, as he sighed and put his head down as the chatter slowly died and the teacher began their lesson for the class period.  
  
---  
  
Students quickly erupted from the doors of the high school, each chatting happily about whatever topic seemed to be on their minds. Some sat on the benches, sun shining on them as they waited for their ride home, while other either had their own car, took the bus, or just walked home. Eriol had been one of the ones who walked home, considering he wasn't all that far from his house, only about a mile, and after all, he hated the stuffiness of buses, and didn't have his own car, anyway.  
  
His sapphire eyes scanned the scene slowly, wondering if Tomoyo had been anywhere on the premises, eager to find out his reasons. No girl stood present, and thus he pulled out his headphones from his backpack and hit play before sliding them over his ears and making his way down the sidewalk, the cherry blossoms slightly shading the sidewalk and general area.  
  
Tomoeda had been a small town, placed on the outskirts of the ever so busy Tokyo. It had consisted of one grade school, one high school, a few stores, and one mall, a few parks, and several houses placed around it. Students around Eriol's age, which was fifteen, were usually found hanging around the shopping area, while younger kids were usually found at the parks and grade school. The neighborhood consisted of a wide range from the mansion type, to the one-story houses, and then everything in between. Weather was delicate, usually warm summers and generally cool winters, and occasionally there was some snow.  
  
"Eriol!" Tomoyo said, as she held her backpack to her shoulder and continued to run in his direction. "Eriol, hey, stop for a second! Wait for me!" He barely heard the voice of her through his headphones, but quietly stopped and waited, without even making sure that it was Tomoyo. "Finally!" She said as she came to a stop besides him. He had pulled the headphones down and they were now dangling from his neck. "Okay! Come on, we'll go to my house."  
  
"No, Tomoyo, matte--" He tried to refuse, but she had grasped her hands in her and broke out in another run.  
  
"After all," she said, as they slowed and came to a large house, gates placed at the front, with a perfect green lawn placed around the path. A maid had been waiting at the door, as if she had been doing the same task for years. "My house is close anyway. Here, I'll introduce you to some people." She grinned, and dropped his hand before placing her hand onto the screen on the side of the wall, and the gates quietly opened.  
  
He frowned as he saw Tomoyo happily walk on the path, without any worries. With a sigh, he followed quietly behind her and watched as the maid greeted her happily. "Ne, Konnichi'wa Rae-Lynn! I have a guest today." She smiled as she turned and waited for Eriol to stand beside her. "This is Eriol Hiiragizawa."  
  
Rae-Lynn bowed lightly, her hands folded on the apron of her black dress. He did the same. "Konnichi'wa Mr. Hiiragizawa." She greeted. Eriol slightly grinned, as he realized that atleast here he would be treated respectfully.  
  
"Eriol, please." He said. Rae-Lynn nodded and led the two into the house, which caused him to hold his breath and tense up. Everything had been so different that he had been used to -- everything nicely cleaned, the walls drapped in a white colour, while the carpet in the same. The rest of the walls and such had been brilliantly designed and easily caught the eye. There had been stairs leading up to the next floor, and a kitchen placed a few feet away from them. He stared at everything, without realizing that Rae-Lynn was informing Tomoyo that her mother was out on a business trip, and would be home later in the evening.  
  
Tomoyo walked across the soft carpet, and realized that Eriol wasn't following her. "Eriol? Hey, come on. We'll go outside and talk." His eyes turned in her direction and he nodded as he followed her to the sliding glass door. To his suprise, the backyard had been fairly small, but none the less beautiful. The grass as green as the front yard, flowers placed around the edge, as well as a deck placed at their feet. To top everything off, a childish touch of a swing set? She blushed lightly. "The previous owners had lots of children. I don't mind though," she said as she made her way over to the swings. "I like swinging and it's better than going to the park." He nodded.  
  
"Well," she said as Rae-Lynn brought a pitcher of lemonaid to the deck and set it on the table with two glasses filled with ice. "Where do you want to begin?" Eriol bit his lip, and scanned his past through his mind while Tomoyo slowly pushed back on her swing and let it go. She noticed his quietness and still waited. "What's your family like?" she finally asked, hoping to break the ice.  
  
He looked down at his feet, swiverling them lightly in the grass. "My parents are divored, so I live with my dad. I have an older brother, he's seventeen." He took a glance at her. "What about you?"  
  
"It's just me, my mom, and all the maids." She chuckled lightly. "Well, that's different isn't it? You live with all boys and I live with all girls." She smiled. He nodded, looked and the opposite direction of her.  
  
She paused, and leaned back, pushing her feet infront of her as she looked up at the tree shading them from the sun. "Do you just want me to ask you questions," she said, as she sat up right and looked at him. "Or would you rather just give me your life story."  
  
He sighed. "My mom and dad divorced when I was eight. They fought a lot and it turned out that my mom was cheating on my dad. Well, my parents didn't like eachother after that but figured they would try to continue considering they had two sons, so they were always kind to us, but they still fought a lot. Finally, my mom gave up and moved to America, and left dad with me and Syaoran." He paused. "Tomoyo, do you remember your dad?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Did they ever fight?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Didn't you hate it?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"It drove me insane. Same with Syaoran, but Syaoran got over it. But since I was still a kid it was really horrible to see my parents yell at eachother over silly things. Well, every child expects their family to be great and perfect like a fairytale. Thought my family was bad, that we were different, and that it was always my fault for their arguments." He sighed, placed his hands on the chains of the swing sets and gripped them tightly, as if anger was swelling up in him and he had to take it out on something.  
  
"Ehh.. Once my mom left me and my brother with my dad," He said, finally, after a long inhale and exhale. "things kind of got hard to deal with. I guess I should mention that part of the reason that my parents fought was because my dad drank a lot, meaning, you know.. Coming home drunk and everything. So, when my mom wasn't there, whenever he came home drunk he kind of.. Err.. changed."  
  
"Changed?" She asked, a bit confused. "Why, what was he like when he wasn't drunk?"  
  
"Let's just say my dad was a nice guy, and that everyone liked him. Then when he got drunk, he would come home and blame everything on us, that probably never happened, and a few times Syaoran tried to make him calm down and, yeah, he hit him." He said, his voice tensing up. He took yet another long inhale and exhaled slowly.  
  
"Oh," she said, softly. She didn't know what to say to him.  
  
"Well, me and Syaoran are kind of close brothers and all so, that kind of affected me when he hit Syaoran. Syaoran isn't very tolerable," he said quietly. "So, he hit him back."  
  
It seemed that every bird in Tomoeda had stopped it's happy chirping to listen to Eriol's story, and that every child had stopped reciting 'Cinderella dressed in 'yella, went upstairs to kiss a fella! Made a mistake and kissed a snake, how many doctors did it take?' and their jump ropes lay deadly still on the ground. It seemed that the world stopped spinning, the air became thick. Eriol tightened his grip around the chains, his knuckles turning extremely pale. He looked down, and realized he was beginning to tremble, and mouthed a silent, "Oh, my God, what am I doing.." before looking at Tomoyo. She stared at him.   
  
He stood, and walked off to the sliding glass door, shaking his head lightly, as a small tear slid. She stood herself, and watched as he slowly walked away, and frantically searched her mind for anything to make him stay. She wanted to know, and since she was already told part of the story, she needed the ending. "Eriol," she began as she began to run and caught up to him, grabbing his hand. She took in a deep inhale before exhaling. He looked at the ground, ignoring her. "Did you cut yourself over it all?" He took a side glance at her, his head still down. He pulled his hand free of hers and left.  
  
The cuff of his black long sleeved shirt had come undone when he had pulled away and exposed the red slashes against his natural pale skin. She gasped lightly, realizing everything with just one glance.  
  
'This can't be happening..'  
  
'It wasn't suposed to be so serious as it actually is..'  
  
'Oh, my God..'  
  
As she heard the glass door come to a sliding and then a quiet thud. She quietly fell to her knees, and put her hands to her face and her elbows against her knees and began to cry silently.  
  
'Why couldn't it be someone besides him?' 


	4. Chapter III

The Ripple Affect  
By: Xiao  
  
` I know I used Tomoyo as the main character, meaning now you only see her thoughts, but I had to give Eriol a shot. And no, Syaoran doesn't exist in Tomoeda, only as Eriol's older brother. I also altered "Syaoran". `  
  
-- Chapter III --  
  
"Tomoyo," Rae-Lynn said as she saw the girl crying. "Are you alright? Did Mr. Hiiragizawa do something to you?" She said as she helped the crying girl to her feet and led her to the sliding glass door and to he bedroom.  
  
"No, Rae-Lynn, I'm fine." She said as she sat down on her bed and whipped her damp eyes with her fingertips. "I just tripped and fell outside, it's nothing, and I'm fine. I promise." She said. Rae-Lynn gave her a worried look, but put her hands in front of her skirt and nodded lightly and made her way out of her bedroom.  
  
'Oh, God, Tomoyo,' she thought to herself. 'Why are you crying? You just met him! You barely know him!'  
  
---  
  
Eriol sighed, relieved to get out of that house, and away from Tomoyo. The whole time he was talking to her, he felt that he was putting too much on her for her to handle and that if he said anymore then she would have began to worry about him. 'She's probably worrying about me now,' he thought as he saw his shirt was un-cuffed. He sighed.  
  
"I'm home," he said as he opened the door to his own house. Inside, the house was kept fairly neat. The carpet a faded brown and the walls white, the kitchen holding wooden floors that were slightly scratched. The house consisted of two stories, downstairs containing the kitchen, dining room, family room (which would work better being called the living room, he noted to himself, considering the whole family was never there), a bathroom, and the office. Upstairs there was the master bedroom, his room, Syaoran's room, the small library that they kept, and another bathroom. It was a small house compared to others, but it did just fine for a family of three.  
  
"Where were you?" He heard Syaoran ask from his room, upstairs. Eriol walked to the staircase and yelled up that he had to stay after to get help with some math work. He then asked where their dad was and Syaoran replied that he didn't know.  
  
"I'm going to take a nap," Eriol said as he walked up the stairs and to his own room. "Wake me when we should start dinner." He shut his door and turned the little lock before making his way window and opening the blinds lightly. He stripped down to his boxers and made his way between the sheets and his comforter. He looked around the dimly lit room. Holes in the walls from when he had got mad at his dad and punched it, his desk a mess with school papers, the screen seen between the blinds tore, and then in the creek of his closet door, he could see the small stain of blood on the ground, and a small lump in his shirts, which were folded crisply, where he kept he razor in it's case. It wasn't very visible, but he had kept it there for so long he could easily spot it.  
  
With a sigh, he turned on his sides and pulled of hiss glasses, folding them and setting them on his nightstand. The alarm clock glowed with it's dim neon green numbers, which read 5:09 PM. With one more sigh, he shut his eyes, pulled the blanket to his chin and drifted off for a few minutes.  
  
"Goddamn it, Eriol, stop locking your door!" Syaoran said, hitting his fists against the door loud enough for it to wake him up. He grunted and opened his eyes, grabbing his glasses and placing them back on.  
  
"What now? I said don't wake me up till it's time to make dinner!" He said, drowsy.  
  
"Dad just called; he is going to be home soon." He said.  
  
---  
  
"I just don't understand why." Tomoyo finally said after a long moment of silence. "I barely know this guy and he finally tells me what I want to know, and when he leaves I start crying and worrying about what is going to happen!  
  
"I mean, I know he cuts himself because when he left I tried to grab his wrist and the cuff of his collar came undone and when he left, you could see red gashes on his wrist! And it scares me and I don't want to be in this, but I can't just leave him like this!" She began to sob again, and pulled her knees to her chest. "I don't understand, Sakura…"  
  
"I think you're just caring about what is going to happen to him, because I guess no one else is going to?" She said, quietly. "It's okay, Tomoyo, I'm sure now that you're with him that everything will get better for him." She said, her voice a bit soothing because of the fact that she was trying to comfort her best friend the best she could, which was hard because it was all over the phone, and they were so many miles away from each other.  
  
"I hope so," Tomoyo said as she pulled a tissue from the tissue box on her night stand and pressed the ends to her eyes and then blew her nose quietly. "I really hope that he's going to be okay. You know how hard it is to see someone that you know and are friends with do those kind of things?"  
  
Sakura paused. "I've never had it happen to me, Tomoyo, but I can imagine exactly what you're going through. Just trust me, though! Look on the bright side and everything will get better, all right?"  
  
"Okay." She sniffled, and nodded lightly, despite the fact that Sakura wouldn't be able to see it. "Thank you so much, Sakura. I'll talk to you later, okay?" She then wished her best friend a goodbye and then hung up the phone.  
  
---  
  
He quickly placed the bowls and chopsticks onto the table as Syaoran dished out the classes of tea, and then the two boys sat at their respected seats. They never waited for their father to get home, but they always had a plate of food waiting for him, anyway. Anyway, if they didn't, they figured he would get even more mad -- and anyway, the plate was always empty by morning. "You sure that he called?"  
  
"Oh, yeah, did I mention I've been hearing things lately?" Syaoran replied, sarcastically before taking a bite ouf o the soup. Eriol laughed. Syaoran had been one of his best friends, despite the fact that there was sometimes sibling rivalry. Syaoran had been one of the only ones ever to understand what he was going through, because he had been there and done the same thing. He was two years older than him; a well built guy with almost black hair and mahogany eyes. He did have glasses, as did Eriol, but he wore contacts.  
  
A moment later, Eriol's laughing was silenced as the front door opened and walked in their dad. The man was tall, black hair, blue eyes with glasses. He had a strong build, as well. And as for the moment, he seemed to be as every dad was, no hint of alcohol in his system, it seemed. "Hey." He said casually and went to his two sons with a nice smile. Eriol looked back down at his food and continued his meal as his dad took his seat. "How was everyone's day?"  
  
"Fine," they both said at the same time.  
  
"That's good." He really could of been classified under the perfect dad when he wasn't drunk, but because he did usually come home drunk Eriol and Syaoran had grown to almost hate him. Eriol exspecially didn't like to sit and listen to anything he had to say to them. When he wasn't drinking, it was usually 'Hey Eriol,' 'Hey' 'How was your day?' 'It was fine. Yours?' 'It was good.' But when it lasted longer, each second he found himself wanting to leave more than ever, already getting angry.  
  
Maybe he hated him.  
  
But after all, how could he not? He would still have a mom if he didn't come home drinking, and then if he didn't Syaoran wouldn't of had to punch him and get punched back. If he didn't drink, he wouldn't usually come home and blame them for things that never happened.  
  
Eriol took in deep inhale, trying to keep everything inside as he ate his food calmly. He faintly heard his dad say that he had found a new girl, someone that he was dating. "I'm leaving," Eriol said through gritted teeth. No, he didn't want his dad to put anyone else through what they were going through, and thus he wouldn't sit and listen to whatever else his dad had to say about her. He grabbed his dishes and headed to the kitchen before washing them and them walking upstairs, slamming the door.  
  
"He's tired," Syaoran tried to use as an excuse. "had to stay after for some school help." Syaoran had been different than him, maybe intolerable when his dad hit him, but was able to hold a conversation with his dad without getting angry. Eriol didn't understand why, but he figured that Syaoran's theory was it wasn't his dad's fault, but the alcohol's. Syaoran had never told him why.  
  
With a grunt, he locked the door to his room again and made his way to the closet door, his body completely tense. 'Hell with him,' he thought to himself as he rummaged through the crisply folded shirts in search for what was usually held there. He gave a sigh of relief when his hand reached the cool plastic case. 'To Hell with it all.'  
  
There was a knock on the door, making Eriol slightly jump. "Who is it?" He asked. The more mature voice of his dad rang in through the thick peice of wood. Eriol cut him off and quickly told that he was tired, had a long day, and was going to bed. The dad, waited until he heard his son to say good night and then left, back downstairs to take care of the dishes.  
  
He sighed and grabbed the case and made his way to his nightstand, slipping it into the small drawer just in case he felt like using it any time soon. He then shut his blinds and closed the curtains before changing and then slipping back between the curtains, as he did earlier in the day. He took a side glance over at the alarm clocks dim neon numbers, which read 6:49 PM. He then rolled over onto his back and stared into the closet, still able to see the faded red stain on the carpet because of the lights seeping through the blinds and curtains. He heard the voices of his dad and brother down stairs, and yearned to grab it from the nightstand.  
  
Four minutes passed.  
  
Blood stained the skin and part of the sheets.  
  
The drawer hung open.  
  
The case left open near the alarm clock.  
  
He sighed.  
  
Relief.  
  
Finally. 


	5. Chapter IV

The Ripple Affect  
By: Xiao  
  
` Syaoran Hiiragizawa... Ah... Don't we just love the ring of that? Okay, that was my slash side taking over. Gomen-nasai. Also, this may seem like the last chapter, but it isn't. In fact, it's just the beginning. ^^; `  
  
-- Chapter IV --  
  
It had been two days since Tomoyo had talked, or even made any effort to talk to him. This was half because she had asked her mom to let her stay home; that she wasn't feeling good, and being the caring mother she was, she let her stay home.   
  
Those two days that Tomoyo wasn't at school wasn't exactly happy for Eriol, but then again it wasn't exactly sad either. For some reason, a reason that he couldn't put his finger on, he missed the idea of a girl following him around, always wanting to be his friend and deny both of them of that horrible title of 'outcast'. The other half, however, he was glad that the girl wasn't there to bother him, and try to pry open his past and his life in general. Neither side of him was winning.  
  
As for the moment, the sky was dim and the air cool. Children were getting ready to leave the park, and the teens that refused to go inside held an umbrella. The forecast guy had predicted rain, and from the look of things, he was correct. Eriol sighed, sticking his hands into his coat pockets, his eyes staring down at the sidewalk beneath him. He had just decided to go out and walk, instead of having to be stuck in the house when his dad was home. And after all, a little fresh air would do him good, right? No use in being stuck in a stuffed up house with someone that made him angry just by exchanging a few sentences.  
  
He heard the sound of rustling leaves as the wind began to pick up, and then the soft trickle of cold raindrops hitting the different surfaces, including himself. He looked around, mostly everyone disappearing from the outdoors and retreated to somewhere that would stay crisply dry through the awaiting storm. 'Oh well, you're already far from home. There's no use in heading back yet. And anyway, Tomoeda doesn't get rain often, you should just enjoy it while you can.'  
  
"Eriol?" There was a distant sound fighting over the wind. He blinked, not recognizing it since it was so quiet and far away. With a slight shrug of his shoulders, he continued his walk and held out his hand, catching the tiny droplets of water, and then watching as they exploded silently against his skin.  
  
"Eriol!" The rain began to fall faster, each drop splashing harder against the surface than before. A few moments later, his was already beginning to get soaked in the falling cold water. He looked around and stared at the plants rustling as they were struck until his vision was blurred from the unwanted water against his lens. With a sigh, he took his glasses off and cleaned them with the inside of his coat.  
  
"Hey, I know you're not deaf!" The female voice rang over the sound of water exploding not so silently anymore. Each word she spoke becoming louder, no doubt resembling that she was coming closer toward him. Soon, the sound of shoes slapping against the sidewalk and small puddle filled his ears and she stood next to him, her breath coming in short gasps. An umbrella held over his head and hers.  
  
"Finally, you stopped." She said after taking in a few long inhales of air. Quietly, he waited for her to catch her breath before he began to walk again, then she caught her pace matching his. For a long moment, the only sound that rang in their ears was the sound of wind howling, and water splashing, now on the umbrella rather than him.  
  
"You're soaking—" She began.  
  
"You're here." He said, his tone of voice unable to be labeled if he was being emotionless or if he was relieved that she was here, or if it was even anything in between. She nodded, as she looked forward, mimicking him. A faint smile played across her pale lips.  
  
"I called you," she said. He took glance at her, as if to ask how he had found her number. "Which I found in the school's directory." He took another glance at the lavender haired girl as if to ask where did you get a student directory. "Which one of the teachers gave me earlier in hopes that it would help me find a study buddy." He grinned.  
  
"I'm impressed." He said, his eyes keeping forward this time.  
  
"Oh? I'm glad that I've won that from you. Why are you impressed?"  
  
"Are you psychic, Tomoyo?"  
  
"No."  
  
"You're just lucky then, I guess." For a moment she set her gaze on him, a slight look of confusion placed across her face. He stared ahead, not smiling, and not frowning, with his eyes holding no emotion, either.  
  
"And that means—" She began.  
  
"Why weren't you at school for two days?" He asked, cutting her off before she could finish. Tomoyo looked back forward, organizing her thoughts in her head as she bit her bottom lip softly.  
  
Tomoyo hadn't actually been sick for those two days, but she had decided that things would be easier if she told him she was. After all, what would he think if she told him that she couldn't take the idea of facing him after everything he had told her that fateful day in her backyard? She shook her head softly at the thought. "I wasn't feeling well."  
  
For a long moment, Eriol took apart Tomoyo's reaction time, actions, how she said it, and her explanation, analyzed it, put it back together and then placed together an explanation. He denied her of looking at her. "You're a liar."  
  
"I am not!" She protested instantly in return, her eyes trying to lock with his, but him still denying that. The rain continued, the wind still picking up and making her slightly shiver in return, despite the coat placed around her.  
  
"Would you like to know how I know?"  
  
"Yes, yes, I would like to know."  
  
He paused. "Well, first you took a long time to come up with an answer, obviously showing that you really stayed home for a reason that might make me mad or hurt, and so you had to come up with another idea that would be believable. Next, you shook your head before you spoke as if to say, 'no, he will not believe me'. Also, you bit your lip, which is a symbol that you're nervous, probably because the real reason, in your eyes, will somehow bother me, hurt me, or make me mad. Lastly, you said everything fast, meaning you're nervous." He stated everything calmly. "So, do you care to tell me the real reason why you weren't at school?"  
  
"I wasn't feeling well, Eriol." She insisted.  
  
"You weren't feeling well with the idea of seeing me after I told you so much about myself and past that one time." He added, eyes still locked with something that had been in front of the two. Impressed and shocked at the same time, she looked at him. He still denied her of a look.  
  
"That's not it!"  
  
"Yes, is it, Tomoyo." She was silent. "And the question now is, why are you here now if for those two previous days you didn't like the idea of seeing me?" She was silent. "Don't you just hate it when the other person denies you of what you want to know?"  
  
"Stop that." She stated, firmly. He looked at her, their gazes locking with each other and holding it there. They stopped walking as well. Everything around them moved, and yet they were still for a moment.  
  
"Why should I? If you had to make me explain what I didn't want to, then why can't I make you explain what you don't want to?" He looked back forward and began to walk, his pace slow. Tomoyo followed. "You're not being fair, Tomoyo."  
  
She had to admit that he was right. How can she be able to make him tell her something that he'd rather not of told, and then expect herself to keep silent about what he wanted to know? It was only fair. She didn't he would react to her explanation, but then again, Eriol didn't know how Tomoyo would react when he gave her his explanation. It was exactly the same, and so, she would have to explain to him why to make everything fair.  
  
But then again-- "Life isn't fair, Eriol."  
  
Silence. Eriol shut his eyes and took in a deep breath, already getting angry with the girl standing next with him. He bit a small part of his lip for a moment, looked up, and then over at her. He shook his head. "If you would of taken that for an answer, I would of used it."  
  
"What does that mean?"  
  
"It means I'm leaving." He said, as he turned and dug his hands deeper into his pockets and walked off, his clothes beginning to take in the water, which was still falling at the same rate as before. His dug his finger nails into his hands as he quickened his pace to get away from her.  
  
Tomoyo didn't turn, but stared ahead of her, down the street as she listened to his footsteps fade. "No," she whispered to herself. Had she just sent him off the edge all because she didn't want to hurt him? 'Now, he's going to hurt himself. No matter what you do, you're going to hurt him.' It was opposite of what she wanted, and just thinking about him hurting himself made her begin to cry.  
  
"Eriol?" she said, turning around, sniffling lightly. He didn't stop walking, and so she began to walk quickly to catch up with him. "Eriol!" She said, tears still streaming down her cheeks, and her eyes beginning to turn a faded salmon color from the tears. She whipped her eyes with her hand and sniffled again, running over to him.   
  
"Listen!" She said, loudly, her voice shaking. When she was next to him, she dropped her umbrella and wrapped her arms around him without even noticing, and even dug her face into his damp coat sleeve. He instantly stopped, his eyes widening as he stared at the girl clinging onto him. "Please don't do anything to yourself!" She said, her voice warm compared to the black cloth.  
  
"W-what?" He found his face becoming warm and his cheeks flushed slightly, considering this had been the first time that a girl had grabbed his arm and was crying over him. Tomoyo looked up to him, tightened her grip around his arm as they stood still.  
  
"Please, just don't!"  
  
He knew what she was talking about, but where she got the idea that was going to do it was unclear to him. "I-- " He tried to say.  
  
"I'm sorry!" She began, sobbing. "I just didn't want to tell you that it hurts to see some guy you want to be your friend hurt himself and have such a hard life, so I stayed home, but then I figured that it was being unfair to you so I called you, and Syaoran answered and told me that you were taking a walk generally in the other park area. But now knowing that I hurt you by not telling you, I'm sorry… I just don't want you to hurt yourself, Eriol!" She explained. He blinked, still flushed in the cheeks. She sobbed into his sleeve some more, while he just stood and watched her, his eyes slightly bigger than usual.  
  
"I wasn't going to," he said. "I just was mad, and I wasn't going to do anything because of you not telling me something—" He blinked again. 'But you were going to, Eriol,' he told himself silently. All of the sudden, he just realized that he had hurt her by storming off and by her knowing that he did cut himself. His heart ached because of it. After a moment, it seemed that she wasn't listening to him, and so he hugged her, just trying to make her stop crying and to comfort her, and to perhaps get rid of the pain he was experiencing.  
  
"I just thought," she said, as she looked up at him. Well, it turned out that she had been listening to what he was saying despite the fact that she was sobbing into his shirt. "That you were going to do something because of me."  
  
He let her go, and instantly he began to feel cold. Quietly, he looked around to see if her umbrella had blown away, but saw that it was pushing against the bushes a few feet away from the, threatening to blow away at any moment. He grabbed it and held it over the both of them, Tomoyo hugging herself from now being damp a cold.  
  
'Oh god, and you made all this happen.' He thought to himself, sighing lightly, already feeling darker than ever. He looked at the girl shivering next to him, and in attempts to make her feel better, but his arm around her shoulders and began to walk slowly with her.  
  
"Come on, I'll take you home." He said, softly. Tomoyo sniffled lightly, her arms still around herself, and she nodded, matching her pace with his. Eventually her sniffles stopped and her breathing became back to normal as she calmed down.  
  
He didn't though, just knowing that he had made her cry and worry so much about him made him feel deeply depressed and like he was holding the weight of the world on his shoulders.  
  
Minutes later, he dropped her off at her house. She thanked him for walking her home, hugged him and went inside her house slowly, him watching until she was safely inside before he made his way down the sidewalk to his own house.  
  
The rain began to slow, and the wind dimmed as the clouds began to move aside for the sun to take it usual shine upon the small town. Later, the kids would come out to dance in the puddles and have fun, the parents watching over them like a hawk. The teens would eventually come out and chatter, shop, and do whatever was on their minds. Everything would be back to normal.  
  
Except him.  
  
As he opened the door, he took of his coat and threw it into the dryer as he made his way upstairs, his brother sitting in his room working on homework. He walked to his room, slowly, still in the same mood as before, despite the fact that the sun had come out and everyone was happy again. He glanced around the room, and then went to the nightstand, pulled the drawer and found his one sense of relief sitting where he had left it before.  
  
He sat down, held it in his hand and thought. 'At least now you won't have to hold the weight of the world on your shoulders, and you won't feel the pain about Tomoyo anymore.' He pressed it, and everything dripped away. 


	6. Chapter V

The Ripple Affect  
By: Xiao  
  
` Thanks to Megami No Hikari. I accidently put nine instead of five. Song used is Whisper by Evanescence. Parenthesis is used for the background in the song. `  
  
-- Chapter V --  
  
She slipped the ear peice into her ear, and pulled the cord down behind her lavender pigtails, so it wasn't to be seen. She pressed the small play button from inside her backpack and began to sing softly with the tune. For a long moment, that was all that was heard in her ears. "Don't turn away." (Don't give into the pain). "Don't try to hide." (Though they're screaming your name). "Don't close your eyes." (God knows what lies behind them). "Don't turn out the light--"  
  
"Do you always sing when you're walking to school?" He asked, finally, after a long time of just walking a few feet from behind her.  
  
"Eriol," she breathed in sharply. Her body tensed as she came to a stop. "Hey." He nodded lightly, acknowledging her hello, and caught up with her. She began to walk as he did, matching her pace with his own.  
  
The rest of the walk was to be held in silence, with Tomoyo pulling the ear peice from her ear and turning off her music, while Eriol kept his eyes focused on the school before them. Behind them, cherry blossom petals swirled calmly with the wind, and erupted with their soft floral scent. Students passed, eyeing the two, but ignoring them as well. Occasionally Tomoyo glanced at the boy beside her, and asked herself if this was the beginning.  
  
'No,' she reminded herself. 'Because you ruined it.'  
  
---  
  
As the day went on, classes proceeded as they usually did. The only difference was that they had taken out the elective courses to have an assembly, thus Theater and Choir did not exsist for Tomoyo's usual day. And in addition, lunch was held later in the day, instead of it usually being being quite early.  
  
After Tomoyo had paid for her lunch, she scanned the cafeteria for Eriol, and when spotting him, made her way down to the table in the back, where only him and her sat. "Hey." she said, calmly as she took her seat and noticed that he was reading again. She wondered why he never seemed to bring a lunch with him?  
  
He gave her a slight nod and just folded his arms over his book, pressing it down as his eyes quickly scanned the words. This was usually how their lunch period was; Eriol would read silently and Tomoyo would eat silently. The longest conversation they had ever had was when they had first met, and how Eriol tried to deny her of being his friend. Which now he wasn't exactly her friend, but it had been the closest they would, hopefully, get before be considered "friends".  
  
Tomoyo sighed as she took a bite out her rice, her mind repeating the previous weekend when she had broken down and cried about how he cut himself. About how she thought it was her faut. As she took another bite, she took a glance at his arm, wondering if he had actually not done anything as he had said. She noted that he always had his sleeves fixed in one way or another so that she could see them. As she looked, she saw the newly fresh wound. With another sigh, she felt guilt deepen inside her. 'It's your fault,' she said to herself.  
  
"Listen, Eriol," she said, as she folded her arms and sat them horizontally infront of herself, her eyes staring downward. He took a moment and gave her a side glance to tell her that he was listening. "I'm sorry about yesterday."  
  
He shifted uncomfortable in his seat and eyed her quietly.  
  
"I must of made myself look so stupid." She said, and then paused in her speaking for a fake chuckle. She was trying to make it sound as if she didn't know about his new cut, so that it would be easier. "I mean, crying and all. I'm really sorry.."  
  
Another uncomfortable shift in his seat, and he continued to eye her quietly. She looked toward him and gave him a smile, before shifting in her seat, placed her cheek on her left palm and picking up her chopsticks to take another bite of her food.  
  
She had been wearing a white collared shirt, which had a boyish blue tie, along with a blue plad short skirt and black knee socks, followed by a pair of black dress shoes (No dress code). Eriol noted it all, and then ran his eyes over her once more, as if expecting something different. Shrugging very lightly, he went back to his book.  
  
Wait.  
  
He looked back at her.  
  
He saw something.  
  
"Tomoyo," he breathed in, that unknown tone of confusing mixed with conern filled his words. "what the hell did you do?" He asked her, quietly.  
  
"What?" She asked back.  
  
He gestured toward the sleeve of her shirt, where it was snagged and slightly torn at the wrist, the button missing.  
  
-- Flashback --  
  
She quickly grabbed her bag as she rushed out the door. She had already woken up late, ruined her breakfeast and had to grab a peice of toast instead, and then couldn't find her books. She pulled the straps around her shoulders as she pulled the door open and slammed it, running down the streets and to the gate. Faintly, she thought she heard her mother say something and turned, her head, seeing nothing. In the process, her sleeve caught one of the bushes and tore the wrist of her left sleeve.  
  
"Shit." she said. If she had time, she would of gone inside and switched her shirt, but already late, she decided that she would live and continued to run until she was sure she would be able to relax and get to school on time.   
  
-- End Flashback --  
  
She breathed in, deeply, and looked away. 'No,' she thought. She had completely forgotten about her sleeve this time, and carelessly put her wrist in view.  
  
'No!'  
  
"Tomoyo?" He asked. His tone was soft for a moment, yet it was still firm and quiet. "What did you do?!" Her body tensed.  
  
"I tore the sleeve this morning, while running out the door, I guess I just scratched it and didn't notice it." She looked back at him, setting her hands down and covering her wounded wrist. She offered him a fake smile, in which he frowned at.  
  
"Scratched it?" He said, he pulled her hand toward him and rolled her sleeve up. For a moment, he eyed the fresh slash across her pale skin, and then looked up at her. "It's too deep to be a scratch, and anyway, you're shirt would be crimson from the blood." He ran his fingers across the cut, and looked back down at her wrist. "The line is too straight to be scratched, anyway."  
  
If this situation wasn't so serious, maybe Tomoyo would of enjoyed it. But, she sighed, pushed her tray out infront of her and folded her arm, before putting her head down. 'No.' She repeated. She didn't bother to bring her hand back to herself, either.  
  
"You didn't.." He breathed. At that moment, he realized that because of him, she had hurt herself.  
  
'She cared about you and you hurt her like that.' He told himself. 'You jerk.'  
  
At the beginning, he had only wanted to be alone so not to hurt anyone else or bring them into his own problems. When Tomoyo had come along, he had tried to warn her, and she didn't listen. As a result, he had decided that he didn't care about what she thought, then. He figured that whatever happened to her was her problem, because she had gotten herself involved with him.  
  
But he never expected for it to hurt so much, to know that he was the cause of her pain. His heart broke in two as he realized that the only one to ever care for him had just been hurt by him -- and all she ever did was try to be his friend.  
  
-- Flashback --  
  
"Tomoyo, dear, you're soaked!" Her mother offered her the obvious information as she beckoned for a maid to come to her daughter's aid. Tomoyo looked at her mom for a moment, their eyes locking with eachother before the maid wrapped the girl in a towel and her mother ordered her to take a warm bath.  
  
Minutes later, she sunk herself into the warm water and felt the cold quietly drip away and be replaced by the warmth. She sighed, seeping deeper into the water as she let her mind drift to the previous expirience.  
  
"Well." she whispered. She had nothing else to say, to think about except the past. And all else she knew was that in the pit of her stomach, she was empty and felt sick. Her mind dripped with pain, just recalling everything. Her eyes stung from crying and were still dully pink. For moments she felt empty and alone, not able to think of anything to do, but sit in the warm water. She just continued to recall the previous expirience.  
  
"I made it all happen," she finally said after long minutes, which seemed like eternities, passed. She felt sick now. "To the only guy I wanted to be friends with, I made him hurt himself." Empty. "I'll never forgive myself." Her words drowned as she dunked her head underwater, and stayed there for a few moments before coming back up for air.  
  
She scanned, eyes landed on the shaving creme and razor, which stood next to the bottles of shampoo and conditioner. She stared so long, concentrating, thinking of what to do, that she could of swore she heard it saying, 'use me. you need me. you need relief and release.'  
  
She looked down into the water. Her face looked back up at her -- sickingly and deathly pale, her eyes the only set of colour. She sighed.  
  
'You made it all happen.'  
  
She began to cry.  
  
Long minutes passed.  
  
She calmed.  
  
She grabbed.  
  
She pressed.  
  
Well, what else was she to do?  
  
The crimson dripped.  
  
The thin line stayed.  
  
The crimson mixed, faded into the water.  
  
She relaxed, and sunk into the water, sighing.  
  
"Tomoyo?" Her mother asked, knocking on the door. She realized that she had been sitting in the bath tub longer than she had expected to be.  
  
"I'm fine."  
  
But was she really?  
  
-- End Flashback --  
  
She was almost to tears, recalling everything. Another minuted passed, Eriol's hand still holding hers. He then wrapped his arm around her and held his hand in hers, resting his cheek against her lavender hair before whispering her name quietly.  
  
Quietly he vowed that it was his turn to be the one to try and help. 


	7. Chapter VI

The Ripple Affect  
By: Xiao  
  
` I wanted to bring another character into the story for Eriol's Dad's new girl. Technically, the first girl that came to mind was Nadeshiko, but she was too nice for Eriol to hate. In the end, I used Kaho. Yes, I know, Eriol and Kaho are the official canon couple, but I don't really like her. No offense to any fans. Anyway, no Kaho will be harmed in the writing of this chapter.   
  
And also, I delayed writing this a lot. I completely got this damned writer's block and just got stumped on part of this. I guess all I have to say now is thanks much to Megami no Hikari, and her lovely story Trapped In Alone, because I got pretty inspired. Go read her story… Now, damn it! :/ `  
  
-- Chapter VI --  
  
"What the hell are you doing, Eriol?" Syaoran asked as he stood in the doorway of Eriol's room. It was getting to four o'clock in the afternoon and Eriol had just walked Tomoyo home and told her if she needed anything to call him. Now, he was kneeling in his closet with some cleaning machine and running it over the bloodstain on his carpet.  
  
"Cleaning my room?" He said back, slightly sarcastic. He continued to spray the spot and press on it with the machine before drawing up faded red and brown liquid.  
  
"Why? You never clean your room, Dad doesn't care."  
  
"I've got to get rid of some things in here." He said, as he turned off the machine and ran his hand along the newly damp and clean carpet. For him, it was more like getting rid of the past to help with the future. But Syaoran wouldn't understand what he was talking about, and at the moment he didn't feel like telling his brother about the depressive girl that made him quit.  
  
He heard the footsteps dim as he made his way down the hallway. "I'm going to start dinner, all right? How about once you finish a little bit up there you come down and help me." He said, it more being a statement than a question. Eriol nodded and stood, parts of his pants damp from kneeling in other parts where bits of blood had laid. As he went back to his room, he noted the hole in his wall and paused, before looking over at his clothes drawer. He then slid it in front of the hole, which was only a bit from where the clothes drawer used to be.  
  
The phone rang and he heard his brother answer it, and thus ignored his brothers talking as he continued to pick up things – first all the stains, then the hole in the wall, now he had to pick up all the school papers and what lied between them. He went to the pile near his desk and picked them as he walked to the trashcan and tossed in the ones that were school. As he ran through each sheet, he came across a note scribbled in his own handwriting.   
  
"To Whoever It May Concern," he read aloud, his voice kept at a whisper. "If you are reading this now, it is obvious that I am dead as a result of suicide. I have nothing more to say than to my Dad and Brother. Dad, you're the cause. Maybe if you weren't so fucked up I wouldn't be gone right now. You made me life living hell. And maybe if you were a decent guy Mom wouldn't have cheated on you. Syaoran, you went through everything with me. You're one of the best people I know. Thanks for everything; sorry you have to live through my suicide. That's it. – Eriol Hiiragizawa." He stared. He crumbled it up and tossed in his crash can and set his things back down before going to the kitchen, where Syaoran was finishing up his call.  
  
"Dad is bringing that new girl over. He asked if we could make an extra plate." Syaoran stated, looking at his brother with a little bit of concern. He knew how he took it when their dad had mentioned it, but now actually meeting the girl that was a possible new Mom?  
  
He sighed. "Yeah, okay."  
  
---  
  
"Mother, I'm going to call Sakura." Tomoyo said a she stood outside her mother's bedroom. There was an okay before Tomoyo made her way up the stairs to her room and flopped herself on the bed. She grabbed the cordless phone and dialed in her friend's phone number.  
  
"Kinomoto residence."  
  
"Hey Sakura. It's Tomoyo." She said, quietly.  
  
"Hey! What's up?"  
  
"I.. Um.. I need to talk to you about something that's going on in my life." She began.  
  
---  
  
They began to set the table as the car pulled into the front driveway. Eriol took his seat besides Syaoran and waited, while his brother quietly eyed him nervously, as if wondering what his reaction would be. Their dad entered, obviously not drunk, with a young woman. She had long auburn hair, with a pair of gentle eyes. Her outfit was nice, a skirt and shirt, and she was quite tall. They both were introduced and began to eat, Kaho chatting nicely with everyone.  
  
"So, what do you do?" Syaoran asked, finally, after she asked them about what grade they were in and what they enjoyed to do.  
  
"I'm an elementary school teacher." Syaoran and Kaho continued to chat, as Syaoran always did with guests. Eriol supposed that he talked more than he should of, but more than likely to cover up for Eriol's lack of talking. His dad eyed him.  
  
"You're really quiet today, Eriol." He said as he noticed that Eriol was every once and awhile giving Kaho and Syaoran awkward looks. It seemed to him that Syaoran was okay with having another Mom, but Eriol couldn't give in that easily. Despite the fact that Eriol didn't like his mom that much, he had to admit that he couldn't replace her.  
  
"I'm just tired, it's nothing. I've had a lot of homework lately and I was cleaning my room for awhile today." He said as he picked up his plate and pushed his chair out from beneath him before making his way to the sink and clearing his plate. He set it in the sink and made his way to the stairs. As he did, he faintly heard the topic of dating and marriage being discussed. He hissed, and ran up the stairs, no doubt coming to the conclusion of the worst instead of considering things like who Syaoran was dating, or if they new their mom was married again.  
  
He walked into his room, shaking lightly. No, no one would replace his mom. No matter how bad she was for cheating on his dad, she just couldn't be replaced. It was that simple, and if that Kaho lady thought she could just budge into their life..  
  
His body tensed and he clenched his fists, the nails he had digging into his palms. 'You need it,' he told himself. 'But you can't.' He said as he walked over to his night stand where his razor still sat, almost calling him to try it's blades. He should of thrown it away when he was cleaning, but he forgot.   
  
Silently, he pulled the drawer opened and lift it up, his eyes gazing over the blades that held bits of dried blood, and yet were still sharp. His grip was tight around the handle, and his wrist just twitching lightly. 'No..' He told himself, again. 'How can you help someone when you can't even get over your own problem first?" He shook his head, put the little plastic cover over the blade before snapping the handle in half, which was fairly easy considering that it was plastic. He then tossed it into the trash and told him that he would be fine without it.  
  
---  
  
"Tomoyo," Sakura whispered, quietly after her friend had just explained her situation and the ended conclusion. Her voice was soft and caring, though filled with concern. Tomoyo sighed, pulling her knees to her chest as she let her chin rest on her knees. "Don't you think you should tell your mom? She could get you some help.."  
  
"No." She shot back.  
  
"You've got to, Tomoyo.. Please.."  
  
"No, you don't understand. My mom expects me to be the best daughter, you know.. And what if she finds out that her supposed-to-be-the-best-daughter is cutting herself of a guy that she's trying to be friends with? She would freak out, and I don't want her to worry. I don't want anyone to worry about me, but.." She paused. Her mind was becoming dizzy and she was spinning onto different topics. "He found out, and I think he's going to help, though. He knows what I'm going through, he went through it too, right?"  
  
The whole thing threw her mind into thinking. He went through the same thing, and now you were affected and now you're going through the same thing. Maybe it's going to happen to someone else. After all, you were a good kid and just wanted to help and now you're in the same thing. Doesn't Sakura want to help? Maybe she'd get herself into the same situation. 'Damn it, Tomoyo, why'd you have to throw a rock into the pond? Now it's going to affect the rest of the water.'  
  
"Sakura? I've got to go. I'll talk to you later, okay?" Though, she did admit that she needed someone to talk to. But Sakura was her best friend, and there was absolutely no way she was going to drag her best friend into this situation. She even felt bad about letting Eriol get into it. She sighed as she hung up the phone, her friend arguing not to leave her like that and that they needed to talk.  
  
"No one to help you now." She whispered as she pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her slender and pale arms around them, rocking back and forth slightly as if she trying to calm herself, by herself.  
  
---  
  
Their last class had been canceled because of the incoming storm. Over the intercom the principal said that it was best the children got home earlier, knowing that lots of the students walked, and it would be horrible to walk home in the thunder storm that was coming. And after all, it had already started to rain softly.  
  
The rest of the day before the announcement was quiet. Each class usually had lectures except for Choir and Theater Arts, in which you were forced into the activities. In Theater, the teacher had canceled the Romeo and Juliet scenes due to tons of complaints from the parents. They were now doing a play and Tomoyo was the "director", Eriol the male lead role.  
  
Tomoyo and Eriol barely talked at lunch, considering nothing had come up. Of course, Eriol knew Tomoyo was down in the dumps, but he was new at this and had no idea how to help her. Hr had decided to let this happened for today and think it over.  
  
And now she had decided to get a head start on her walk home, cursing herself for bringing an umbrella and wearing short sleeves, which of course, was a mistake anyway, her cut still rested against her pale wrist. She grabbed her things from her locker and slung her backpack over her shoulder before walking out of the school, past a group of people, who weren't checking their volume of voice as they talked.  
  
"She's such a freak," one girl commented as she watched Tomoyo walk by. "You see those cuts on her wrist? She's such a poser, she's trying to look cool. God, I hope she hurt herself in the process so she realized how fucked up she is." Tomoyo pace slowed down as she listened to the girls chatter, again wishing that she was smart enough to wear long sleeves.  
  
"Yeah, she hangs out with that other freak, Eriol. I mean, damn, what the hell is their problem? Attention seekers?" Another boy commented in return. The rest of the group laughed in unison.  
  
"Well, that's what you get from new kids, huh? She should of stayed with her old school, at least she'd be amongst her own kind. I bet you people from her old school were a bunch of dumb asses like she is, too. And then that Eriol, he just shouldn't even be here. I mean, holy shit, have you guys seen what he does in lunch? He's jacked up, I swear!"  
  
"Yeah, he must of affected that other girl! They're both so pathetic!" That was the last thing she heard as she walked and was eventually out of hearing distance. Her eyes were already beginning to sting as tears mixed with the rain drops. No one ever talked bad of her, and everything was now so new. She was one of those girls who people liked. And out of all the times they had chosen to talk about her? Now? She was having a hell of a time right now. Maybe if they talked about her when she was back to normal, it wouldn't of hurt her.  
  
She wiped her eyes as she hurried down the sidewalk of the park. She had to get as far away from those people as she could, and running was the only thing she could do right now. The rain began to a little heavier every few minutes, and eventually the street lights came on because of all the clouds covering. She tripped on a part of the sidewalk and landed on her knees and hands, skinning them. She stared at the ground for a long minute, watching the blood run across the creamy gray surface. With a sigh, she looked down the sidewalk, and stood.  
  
She didn't want to go home anymore. She just wanted to find a place in the park and sit and be alone for a long time. Sighing, she grabbed her bag and made her way to the penguin slide and sat under it, as far away from the entrances as she could and just cried, her hands and knees stinging lightly but not exactly hurting her.  
  
She just sat. She had nothing else to do and she didn't want to do anything else but be alone. It was probably two hours, just sitting there. The rain still poured, and she dug through her backpack for a coat, which she draped around her knees and legs and just tried to relax and think.  
  
For the longest time, there was nothing but splattering of water against surfaces until finally she heard that familiar voice calling her name. She didn't respond, and kept still even though she knew that he would find her very quickly.  
  
And very quickly he did. A few moments later she saw Eriol squat down, see her, frown and crawl into the space before sitting next to her. Tomoyo didn't even spare him a glance, and kept her eyes focused either in front of her or on her shoes, or whatever else she felt like staring at, except him. "What are you doing here?" She asked, finally.  
  
"Looking for you. Your mom got scared that you didn't come home and Rae-Lynn knew that you hung out with my every once in awhile, found your directory, found my name and number, and called me and asked about you." He said, pulling his knees to his chest. "I said I didn't know where you could be, that you left before I did but I would go and see if I could find you."  
  
"Oh." She felt stupid for not realizing that. He took a glance at her, and saw that her eyes were tinted pink, every now and then a tear ran down her cheeks. She was shaking, slightly, still slightly damp and obviously cold. Without even thinking, he sat forward, took off his own coat and handed it to her. She blinked before realizing that he was trying to let her use it and then took it, smiled lightly at him before putting it on.  
  
"How long have you been looking for me?"  
  
"No idea." He said. She looked at him, and noticed that at least he was smart enough to wear long sleeves to keep him warm through this rain. He didn't have an umbrella, but at least the coat he had handed to her had a hood to it.  
  
Silence.  
  
"What's wrong? Why didn't you go home after school?" His tone was soft and warm, enveloping her. She sighed, recalling the same events from previous. The quotes made me those other students running laps across her mind.  
  
"Nothing." She mumbled as she noted that he was looking at her, all covered in concern. He sighed, knowing that she was obviously lying to him. She even knew that he knew she was lying, and just looked the opposite way. "Some people were talking bad about me and you when I was walking down the hall. They said that I was a freak and an attention seeker for cutting myself, and that you were just jacked up 'n all." He grunted in response and went out and extended his hand to her.  
  
"Yeah, I know exactly who you're talking about. They always talk about people who are less than perfect, and then they think they're better than everyone and that people who have hard lives are just fucked up people who crave attention. I swear." She took his hand and came out from that place, wobbling lightly as she stood. The rain was still hard, but Eriol still let her have his coat. "Don't even listen to them, they're a bunch of close minded bastards who have no life, and you shouldn't even listen to what they say." He offered his arm for her, knowing that she was probably going to stumble because she had been sitting for so long. She took it.  
  
"Here, I'll walk you home, okay?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I don't want to go home. If my mom finds out about all those people talking about me and how I intentionally didn't come home, she'll throw a fit and get mad at me and then make a big deal and call the school about those people." She said, quietly as they began to walk. He nodded lightly and stopped. He took a side glance at her.  
  
"If you want, we'll go to my house, make up and excuse for you not being home and then I'll take you home?" He asked, trying to be polite, knowing that she was still feeling pretty bad. She nodded, and they turned around, walking in the opposite direction than they did before. He knew that Syaoran would give him a hell of a hard time about bringing a girl home, and how he shouldn't of done that because they would have to cook everything and then his dad would come home and get mad at them for having a girl over. He didn't mind that much anyway, considering he knew what Tomoyo was going through for the moment. At sometime or another, he probably did something of the sort anyway.  
  
He flashed a smile at the girl beside him, though. He knew he had to make this less tense, and at least try to make her feel a bit brighter. It would be too much to have to be so tensed about her whole situation for them to last their whole walk and talk. He pulled the hood over her head, which was too big, and pulled it over her eyes. "Come on, you'll get soaked.." She chuckled at his tone of voice and pushed it back.  
  
---  
  
They paused, outside of Eriol's house. At the moment, Eriol was wondering exactly what Syaoran would do when he saw him with some girl. A second later, he decided that whatever Syaoran thought could go to hell. Tomoyo was still upset and he was going to help her out, and then come up with an excuse to help her with what her mom would say to her. They entered, him opened the door for her. The two took off their shoes and Eriol lead her down to the kitchen, letting her sit while he made her and himself some tea. At the moment, Syaoran was upstairs and unaware that Eriol had come home. He handed her a cup of steamed hot tea before sitting across from her at the table.  
  
"Thank you." She said back, politely. He nodded, took a sip and glanced around. "Is your brother home?"  
  
"Yeah, he's upstairs." He replied.  
  
"Can I meet him before we go to my house?" She asked, quietly. Eriol had no idea why she would want to meet his brother, but he nodded very slightly and took another sip of his drink. The two sat in awkward silence before he brought his voice to work.  
  
"You know, we can just tell your mom that you made a wrong turn on your way home and got lost." He said. She was sipping her tea quietly before she looked at him. "I mean, I'll say I found you at the park, which is okay because there's a lot of parks around here."  
  
It was so simple, but at least it would work.  
  
"Yeah, okay."  
  
The phone then rang, filling the room with it's dead B flat rings. Eriol paused, his body tensed. Either his dad, and if it was him, he would ask about who was over and all. The other possibility was it was Tomoyo's mother. The second choice would, obviously, be better.  
  
The two stared at the phone on the wall. A few moments later, Syaoran came down the stairs to see if Eriol was back. His eyes fell on Tomoyo, and for another long moment Tomoyo and him locked their eyes. He then looked back at Eriol. "Tomoyo's mom is on the phone. She wanted to talk to you."  
  
"Okay." He said as he stood up and went to the phone on the wall. Syaoran hung up his cordless phone before making his way down the stairs as Eriol talked to Sonomi Daidouji. "Moshi moshi, this Eriol." Pause. "Yes, I found her Miss Daidouji." Pause. "Yes ma'am, I'll be walking her home in a few minutes." Pause. He looked at the lavender haired girl, pressing his hand to the mouth piece. "Do you want a ride home from your mom, Tomoyo?" He asked. She shook her head. "No, she said that she would rather walk home." Pause. "Yes ma'am, she's fine." Pause. "All right. Good-bye." He hung up and walked over to his brother and Tomoyo. Eriol stood next to Tomoyo and eyed his brother cautiously. He wanted to see his reaction when he introduced her.  
  
"Syaoran, this is my friend Tomoyo. Tomoyo, this is my brother Syaoran." He said, Syaoran grinned. "She was the one I went out looking for when her mom called us." He tore his gaze from Tomoyo and took a long look at Eriol.  
  
"Which, by the way," Eriol said after basically having a staring contest with Syaoran. "Your mom wants me to take you home as soon as I can. You ready to leave?" He asked. The girl nodded and stood up from her seat and made her way back to the door after she made a polite 'nice to meet you, Syaoran,' to Eriol's brother. Eriol followed behind her.  
  
"Don't take too long, we still have to cook and Dad's new," he paused in his talking to think of a good way to describe Kaho. "friend is going to be coming to dinner once again. He called me while you were gone and said to make an extra plate." Eriol grunted but nodded as him and Tomoyo exited the front door and back into the pouring rain.  
  
She sighed, quietly, still not wanting to go back to her house, but didn't say anything. Instead, she just linked her arm around his as a form to comfort herself. He smiled, quietly, hoping that at least she was feeling a bit better. They didn't speak all that much during their walk home, until they came to the gates of the Daidouji house.  
  
She stopped, and let go of him. "Well.." 


	8. Chapter VII

The Ripple Affect  
By: Xiao  
  
` Wow. I'm suddenly all backed into typing this story It's quite amazing, actually. Anyway, a big thanks to Megami No Hikari and her story Trapped In Alone, because I have no idea why, but her story gave me this huge burst of inspiration. Go read her story, now.  
  
Also. This is going to be probably the most angst thing I have ever written. Who knows? The idea in my head seems pretty sad. But don't hate me for it; I thought this would probably be a good climax. And this chapter will probably have some form of romance. Who knows? Yes, me. Ha Ha.  
  
-- Chapter VII --  
  
"Thanks, Eriol." She said as she released him from her grip. He nodded as she turned and spoke in the intercom for them to open the gates, that she was finally back. Within a minute the gates were open and two maids and her mother came running out of the mansion, meeting up with Tomoyo at the gates, embracing the girl tightly. After a moment of her mother telling her daughter how she should never of done that, Tomoyo finally pulled her off and introduced Eriol.  
  
"Mom, this is Eriol." She said. The navy haired boy gave a slight smile and nodded. "He's one of my," she paused as she glanced toward him. A smile passed her pail lips. "Friends." Sonomi gave him a very quick thank you about how much she appreciated that fact that he took time to look for her daughter on such sort notice. The two exchanged a good-bye and she asked if he would like one of the maids to give him a ride home. He told her he would rather just walk home, and then was off.  
  
Tomoyo's mother grabbed the girl's hand and walked her inside as she asked nearly a million questions, first one being what had happened to her. "Well, it got really dark as you know and I took this wrong turn and I didn't know where I was, exactly, so I just took shelter in this park and hoped that someone would find me because I was afraid that if I continued any farther that I would be so lost and then no one would find me."  
  
"Silly girl." Her mother commented as the maid opened the door for the two. The mother eyed the coat that Tomoyo had on, which had been Eriol's but ignored it. She instructed for her to take a bath and to do her homework, and lead her upstairs.  
  
"That boy didn't do anything to you, now did he?" She said as she took a side-glance at the girl's knees, which were slightly bloodied, still. Tomoyo stopped dead in her walking and looked at her mom, wondering what exactly was going through her mind.  
  
"Of course not." She said, finally. Her mom gave an exasperated sigh and pushed her daughter up the stairs as she then went into her room a grabbed her a pair of pajamas and put it in her hands. She then lead her to the bathroom, where the bath tub was already filled to the brim with warm water and bubbles this time. She instructed for her to cleanse herself well before getting out and then left the girl to her bathing.   
  
The girl mumbled a snobbish 'yes ma'am' once her mom left and then undressed and slipped into the water. A hiss filled the girls lips as she felt the water cover her cuts, but sighed a moment later when she was able to relax and almost dunk herself completely under the layer of frothy bubbles. "Eriol hurting me?" she mumbled into the smelly bubbles. She shook her head slightly and dipped her head completely under.  
  
---  
  
"Well," Syaoran said as his brother entered the house. His clothes damp from the walk as a result of having no coat. He was shivering lightly and his clothes were clinging to his skin pretty well. "Seems you caught a good one." He added. Eriol shook his head as he walked through the kitchen, wetted footprint trails trailing behind him.  
  
"Shut up, Syaoran." He said as he lifted up a lid of one of the pots to see what they were to be making for dinner tonight. His brother grinned, obviously finding it his duty to tease Eriol about bringing home a cute girl. Maybe if he knew that Eriol was just trying to help her then he wouldn't of been giving him hard time about it, but he wasn't exactly willing to tell him that that cute girl he saw earlier was a cutter.   
  
"Damn, though. She's a beautiful one. How'd you ever get a hold of her? I swear, if you weren't with her I'd be all over her…" Syaoran's voice trailed as Eriol walked up the stairs. Truly, he wanted to go down there and smack him and tell him to shut the hell up, that Tomoyo wasn't just eye candy and that he wasn't even with him for god's sake. Well, even if he told him that then Syaoran would be all over her, so he would have to add for him to stay the hell away from her.   
  
'Oh geez, getting protective, aren't we?'  
  
He shook his head as he went to the closet and grabbed a towel, ruffling it against his messy hair, which now looked like a mess of pure black ink. After that, he went to his room, stripped down and tried off before changing into some dry clothes. At the feeling over softened cloth against his skin and went back down the stairs. "I'm not going to eat tonight." He said, finally. What did Syaoran expect anyway? He had to just go through finding a girl in the rain and then walking her to his house and then hers and then home. To some normal person then they would probably be starving, but he wasn't normal. And after all, his dad's new playmate would be staying to eat anyway and he wasn't sure if he could handle that.  
  
"What the hell? Why not?"  
  
"I'm not hungry, dumb ass." Actually, he was empty. Completely empty, but food was the last thing he needed, well, of course, besides seeing that Mizuki lady. Syaoran grunted, probably thinking that if he didn't tease him he would have eaten something and helped him cook. Eriol waited a moment for a response, but didn't get one and then left and back up to his room. He took out his backpack and his homework, and sat down, sighing. Well, he better finish this off.  
  
---  
  
"Did she believe what you said about last night?" He asked as he looked up from his book. This was always what it was like; Tomoyo would be eating her lunch quietly as Eriol sat and read one of his books or finished his homework. It was usually silent unless someone just said anything. It didn't even matter how stupid it was, it always stared up a conversation.  
  
"Yeah." She said as she took a bite out of her rice. He nodded lightly and looked back down at his book, running his gaze over the text. "I called Sakura about it and gave her that excuse and she believed it and then—"  
  
"Who's Sakura?" He didn't want to interrupt her, but he had done it anyway.   
  
"She's one of my friend's from England." She said, smiling. "She's my best friend. Well, anyway, then I told her that I was lying and that I ran off from those freaks who were talking about me and you and she said the first one was believable." He grinned in return to that. At least he was able to come up with a reasonable excuse to help Tomoyo out.  
  
There was a moment of silent. "So, she knows about everything?" He asked.  
  
"Yeah. She got really concerned and said that I should talk to my mom." She began, with a sigh as she shook her head and lifted her chopsticks to her mouth. "I had to explain that my mom expects the best of me and that she, obviously, wouldn't take it well and," she shrugged and nudged over to the table near them. "expects perfection just like everyone else in this school."  
  
"Seems like a nice person." He said. She nodded and the two drifted back into silence for the next few minutes until the bell rang and they went to their separate classes.  
  
---  
  
At the end of the class, Tomoyo remembered that the drama teacher had requested to speak to her before she left. Of course, she wasn't one to forgot and instantly went to the theater classroom, while Eriol went and got his things to leave. As she did so, she took her cell phone out of her pocket and turned it on. Her was mother was always concerned that something important would happen and that they wouldn't get in touch with her, and so, as of yesterday, she had a cell phone and was to have it turned on after school and whenever she could have it on. She shook her head, finding it to be pointless, though. After all, that incident yesterday was a first in her whole time of living.  
  
"Yes ma'am?" Tomoyo asked as she opened the door to the theater room. The teacher motioned Tomoyo inside and stood, meeting her halfway. The teacher smiled and began with how she thought Tomoyo would make a lovely director someday, and that she was doing an absolutely wonderful job in directing the show they were putting on.  
  
"I also wanted to give you this," she added as she handed the girl another script, the main girl leads highlighted. "When I was casting I didn't put a stand in for her, and I thought that since you were wonderful at directing, maybe you'd be a lovely understudy." The teacher gave her one of her brightest smiles.  
  
"Oh no, I couldn't do that." She said. Yes, she was a singer, and yes she was pretty good at directing, but no, she wouldn't be able to play a main lead. Sure, she did get the spot light a lot because of her constant solos, but that was singing. This was acting. She COULDN'T act, and it was that simple. "I can't act, just trust me on that."  
  
"Oh, but that must be why you chose this class? To get rid of stage fright?"  
  
"No ma'am, I don't have stage fright, I just can't."  
  
"Oh, then we'll teach you! And I'm sure Eriol can help you as well!" She said as she nodded her head happily, and turned the girl around and began to push her to the door. "Yes, yes, we'll teach you, Tomoyo!" She pushed the girl out of the door and shut it.  
  
Tomoyo waited a moment before she actually knew what had just happened, and then blinked. "Something is seriously wrong with her." She mumbled as she went to the front doors and went outside, staring at the papers scribbled with pink highlighter on her so-called understudy part. She shook her head and folded it before putting it in her backpack.  
  
For a moment she looked around, wondering if Eriol had waited for her or just left. To her fortune, he stood against one of the cherry blossom trees some length away from her. She smiled slightly and began to walk toward him until her cell phone rang.  
  
She shook her head as she stopped in her tracks, mumbling about how stupid it was to have a cell phone for no real reason. And look know what was going to happen, she was going to get these calls from people who dialed in the wrong cell phone numbers and have to answer them because if she didn't, the ring would go on forever and drive her to insanity.  
  
"Eriol!" She said as waved her hand up. Eriol looked over to her and gave her a slight smile and made her way over to her as she took out her cell phone and answered it.  
  
"Moshi moshi." She said as she continued in a steady pace toward Eriol.  
  
"Tomoyo, dear, this is Rae-Lynn." The maids voice rang in over and flowed through and into her ears. She wasn't exactly happy that it was her mad calling, but then again it she wasn't exactly thinking that something bad had happened. "I have some news for you."  
  
"Yes?" She asked back, as she stopped.  
  
"I.. I'll explain it more detail when you get home, but.." Rae-Lynn's voice was soft and some how was making Tomoyo more nervous than ever, despite the tone. "There was a school shooting in England. It's all over the news right now and.. Well.. They just released a list of which students were killed."  
  
Her heart stopped beating, or so it seemed. She knew what Rae-Lynn was going to say to her next. Why else would they have called her since this phone was only for emergencies. Sakura Kinomoto must have been shot, killed. Not injured, not okay.. It was so obvious by the wording of her sentences. She was gone. Her eyes welled up with tears, stinging her as she didn't even bother to listen to what Rae-Lynn was going to say, and didn't bother to respond either, and just hung up.  
  
And she knew that her mother was going to go pick her up, so try and comfort her over Sakura. She had to get away. She had to get away before her mother could make act like she knew what her daughter was going through, to try and comfort her and say it was going to be all right in the end. And it wasn't going to be all right. Nothing could be all right anymore. She had just lost the person that she cared for the most in her life.  
  
She began to pick up pace, knowing that she had to get away from this place; the place where she had found out her best friend's fate. Eriol gave her a confused look, wondering why she was crying. "Tomoyo?" He asked, quietly as Tomoyo came to him, and then walked past him without even so much as sparing him a glance. "Hey! What's wrong?"  
  
She didn't want him to know, and yet she couldn't help whispering the truth into the air. "Sakura's dead. She was shot in a shooting." Despite the fact the fact that her voice was quiet and mixed in with her muffled sobs, Eriol caught exactly what she said. And it stung, not only because if was Tomoyo's best friend, but because he knew her preferred choice to make it all better.  
  
He hurried in front of her and began to walk backwards in hopes to catch her attention. Nothing happened, and thus he had to stop her and at least try to calm her down. After all, he had vowed to himself to help Tomoyo through thick and thin. He stopped and since she wasn't looking where she was going, she ran right into him. "I'm sorry, Tomoyo.." He said as she sobbed, her head resting in the spot between his chin and his chest. It was kind of awkward, considering she was just like that, her arms still at her side.. A little too weird, and he felt that he couldn't talk to her like that and stood her back up, lifting her chin so their eyes met.  
  
"I'm sorry, Tomoyo." He tried again. "I understand what it must be like.." To tell the truth, he didn't exactly know what to tell her. He had never had one of his friends or someone close to him die, but he couldn't find any betters words to fit the situation. It would have been better if he found something better to say, though, because it triggered her and she started to cry harder and pulled herself away from him.  
  
"Don't you fucking lie!" She screamed. It was such a sensitive subject for her and she wasn't exactly sure how to determine what he meant. "You don't know what the hell I'm going through! And goddamnit, don't you try to say you do!"  
  
He winced at her screaming. He tried to calm her down by setting a hand on her shoulder, but she whipped backward and cried harder, still not getting the real meaning of what he said previously. "AND DON'T YOU FUCKING TOUCH ME, HIIRAGIZAWA!" Slap.  
  
Oh, it stung, and out of pure reaction he put his hand to his cheek, winced lightly at the touch. She then ran off, repeating it again and then adding to it. "DON'T YOU FUCKING TOUCH ME, AND DON'T YOU FUCKING ACT LIKE YOU KNOW WHAT THE HELL I'M GOING THROUGH!" She ran. Fast and swiftly and before he could even turn around, she was gone.  
  
What now? A normal person would of taken it straightly and given up on the girl, and probably would of struck back. And to tell the truth, he did want to give up on the girl and he wanted to scream at her that she needed to stop assuming things, and that he is trying to help.  
  
But she was gone.  
  
And she was hurt.  
  
And he just couldn't throw everything back in her face. She was hurt, and that was all there was to it.  
  
He had to find her, because he knew her, and he knew exactly what might and probably would happen if he didn't get a hold of her and calm her down anytime soon. It was obvious that Tomoyo couldn't handle her pain very well, which was told by the previous experiences, and there was always a little experience called cutting.  
  
And he was off in the same direction.  
  
---  
  
"Tomoyo!" Her mother said as she ran to the girl who had just entered the house. The truth was, if one of the maids hadn't of found her when she was running off, then she wouldn't be home. And if her mother didn't see her the instant she came home, she would of ran off the instant she knew that no one else was watching her. No luck. This damned world.  
  
Her mother ran to her and embraced her. "Oh, Tomoyo, dear, I'm so sorry! Do you want to talk about it?" Her mother asked softly, not even bothering to realize that her daughter wasn't embracing her in return.  
  
"No, I'm just going to go lay down.."  
  
"Are you sure? I can get you something to drink and have one Rae-Lynn make you a bath to relax, if you want." Thoughts embedded her mind. Yes, the possibilities. Tomoyo nodded, thinking about what could happen just like last time.  
  
And she wanted it to happen, too. 


	9. Chapter VIII

The Ripple Affect  
  
By: Xiao  
  
` Wow. I haven't been writing a lot, huh? Sorry much. I'm still trying for a very angst climax to this story. Everyone ready? I was hoping I could make this serious, and maybe trigger something in everyone's minds or give them something that makes them get a different view on life. -Shrug.- I tried, but I'm not exactly sure if it worked. Heh. Oh well. Enjoy the rest of the chapter anyway, all right? `  
  
--  
  
Chapter VIII  
  
--  
  
She made her way up the stairs as Rae-Lynn came out of the bathroom, the already finished off for Tomoyo. She gave a slight smile to her, and went into the room before the girl could say anything. She then turned her lock and looked at the window, which had the fire exit near the edge of the bathtub. The window was smeared and the blinds always down. She walked over to it, avoiding the bathtub and all it's contents and opened the blinds and then the window. She then opened the fire exit ladder and stared at it, then out the window. She didn't want them to go outside and know she was gone, and so she just stepped out onto the roof of the house.  
  
The wind was blowing heavily, the clouds a grayish color. As she made her way to the very edge she was contemplating how to get down with out letting anyone hear her, and then she noticed the vine rack against the wall. She smiled maniacally as she pulled the straps of her backup back to the top of her shoulders and then began to her climb down to the ground. After she was safely on the ground, she ran to the fence and climbed over. And ran, far and fast.  
  
As she lost her breath she looked around, noticing to her surprise, it was where she ended up last time; the park with the slide where she hid last time. She hurried to it and crawled under, pulling her backpack out in front of her and rummaging through the contents for her pencil bag. As she rummaged, she came across her red sharpie and pulled it out. She then uncapped the top and changed her position to on her knees, while pressed the tip to the walls surface. She began to write in big letters.  
  
'Death is the answer, Hiiragizawa.' She wrote first. Each letter seemed to be about the same size and in capital letters. 'Someone has to be with her.' Was the second thing that was written, still in big letters. 'That someone is me.' She then capped the marker again and put it back in her pencil bag.  
  
She then pulled out her binder and unzipped it, revealing the contents inside. Everything was neatly organized, papers, folders, pencils, pens, an agenda, homework papers, protractor, calculator, a ruler, a pencil sharpener, and a pair of scissors. She pulled them out and then shoved the backpack and binder to the corner of her small space.  
  
Tears were streaming heavily down her cheeks again as she used her right hand to pressed one of the ends to her wrist, slashing deeply and repeating at least three times, each as deep and long as the other.  
  
Shaking violently as she watched the crimson spill over, she pressed her finger into it and began to write on the wall again. Her hand writing sloppy from her hand shaking, but it was still legible. It took a short time for her to write her name in her own blood and then she stood, swaying lightly as she got out of the place.   
  
Then she ran, gasping from the previous run and stopped as her head began to spin after only a few seconds. She was shaking heavily before as she began to get dizzy. She kept gulping as if trying to contain herself and with one long stream marquee of red letters that engulfed her mind, the last thing she could do was read it over and over, "So, this is what death is like." Tomoyo then collapsed.  
  
--  
  
He stopped, placing his hands on her knees as he gasped for breath. He had lost her and had been searching and still hadn't found her. The only place that he knew of was her house, but he knew she wasn't going to be there. Why would she want to be near her family during this?  
  
Though he didn't really understand why she didn't like her family. Hers must be heaven compared to his, so how could she hate being there so much? Yet, he knew that she hated it anyway. Tomoyo had made that pretty obvious to him so many times. But it still made him wonder.  
  
He shook his head, remembering the situation at hand and looked around at his surroundings, which sent a spark to his remembrance. He stood where he found her in the last situation, where she was crying because of the people at school. He shook his head once again, trying to think of a reason why she would be in the same place as before. He figured that she didn't want him to find her, so why would she be in such an obvious spot? Yet, he couldn't help but want to check anyway. Maybe he had it backwards; maybe she wanted him to find her.  
  
And with that he took in one more deep breath and walked over to that little hiding place of hers, kneeling and poking his head inside, instantly finding the writing and backpack against the wall. He wanted to scream until his lungs gave way and exploded at the sight, yet his lungs and throat would not allow it. No sound could emerge.  
  
Was she dead?  
  
His head began to pound, and he couldn't help but picture her lying dead somewhere, and then the story being posted in newspapers world wide, next to a column about Sakura Kinomoto. The next thing that flashed in his mind was her grave sitting at the top of a hill, the suns gleam blacked out with the rain falling forever from a blackened death cloud. Around the tombstone, no one stood except for a small bouquet of black roses lying on the mound of dirt over her body.  
  
He couldn't help but began to shake with anger for himself, as he placed his palms on the ground and his face staring down at the ground, as if looking into the depths of hell. He had let her die, hadn't he? If he had enough sense to watch what he was saying in her time of need, then maybe she wouldn't of killed her self. And maybe if he had searched faster, she would have still been here writing her message. It was his entire fault, and because of his mistakes, she was lying dead somewhere. He was so sure of it. And because of this, he began to let tears stream, causing his glasses to slowly fall from his face and then smack against the ground.  
  
"Tomoyo," he whispered. He had killed her. He shook his head as he crawled out of the place after getting his glasses and stood, placing them back on. The worst part was he had actually loved her, and now he wouldn't be able to tell her ever. Now, he even had to deliver the message to her family. He looked around, wondering which way it was to her house and then began to walk, staring down at the ground. Every once and awhile he would glance up and look around as if expecting her to come running up to him with a smile on her face and then embrace him.  
  
It was then when he saw her body on the ground only so far ahead of him. He ran as fast as he could, so fast that he tripped and tore his jeans only a few feet away from her. Ignoring the blood from his now skinned knee, he crawled over to her, tears still stinging his eyes.  
  
He breathed in her name as he kneeled over her and looked at her before picking up her hand that held her damaged wrist, which had some dried blood and then some still slowly flowing. Everything was so deep; he knew that she was aiming for her death. Eriol then set that hand down and picked up the other, her fingers red with dried blood. He pressed his index finger and middle finger against the inside of her arm, where her artery was and felt around looking for that familiar pulse. He felt it, but faintly and breathed in a sigh of relief for only a second.  
  
She was lacking of blood.  
  
He paused, looking around desperately for something that would stop the bleeding and found nothing. The only resource he had was his shirt, and with that he tore off a long piece from the bottom and began to wrap it around her left wrist, so it was soaking up the blood. He then tied it and put his hands under her as he pulled her up and held her.  
  
He then began to run to where his house was, since it was the closest. It was also a relief that his brother was out with another girl that night and his dad was staying late at work to get some extra things done, so he could get inside and help her out without being hassled about the bleeding girl.  
  
Though, maybe if he was thinking for a second, he could of realized Tomoyo had a cell phone in her backpack and he could call 911, but his brain wasn't exactly functioning correctly at the time after all the events.  
  
As he ran, Tomoyo, still slightly dazed could feel the rhythm of his running, and his heart beating heavily through his chest. She didn't know who was holding her, or where she was because of the lack of blood and her dazed state of mind. The only thing she could she could manage to come up with in her mind was she was going heaven now, and an angel was carrying her there. It took only another moment for that overwhelming feeling to take over her body and she was out of it once again.  
  
No one was outside at the moment as he made his way through the streets. If they were, they probably would of blamed him for the accident, as if he was the one who caused her pulse to drop so low. For that, he was grateful because that was the last thing he needed at the moment.  
  
As he came to the front door, he opened the door after a long struggle of keeping Tomoyo in his arms, and entered, where the lights were off and no one was alive in the house. He then set her down on the couch and ran down to the hallway, where he grabbed a blanket and came back to her, setting it over her and tucking her in to warm her up slightly and maybe to get her pulse rate up. He then took her wrist and felt for the pulse, feeling it again, still alive.  
  
For the next hour or so he devoted his time to making sure he could do whatever he could, still in his state of panic for her life (and that was the reason he never got the idea of calling 911 for help), constantly checking her pulse and replacing her bandage around her wrist, cleaning it every so open to keep from infection. Eventually the bleeding had slowed and he was completely exhausted from running around. It was then when he had fallen asleep, sitting up, next to her, his head on her shoulder.  
  
An hour later, Tomoyo was conscious again, yet still dazed. She blinked, trying to get the headache to leave her, and looked around the place. It was so unfamiliar yet she knew it was somewhere in the back of her memory.   
  
"Oh God." She whispered as her head began to pound. She looked around, her eyes straining for something familiar when she realized the weight on her shoulder. 


	10. Chapter IX

The Ripple Affect  
  
By: Xiao  
  
` Oh god, you guys. I'm sorry that this story has been delayed in updates for so long. I have to admit, I like the story a lot. Yet, I continue to lack my updates. As for My Immortal, the third chapter copy is on my other computer and it's not letting me pull it up.  
  
One more thing, this is the last chaptered. I'll make it the best yet, okay? And don't worry, there will more than likely be an Epilogue (Which includes some ranting on this story from your lovely author here. Ha ha! DOOM! N_n;) `  
  
--  
  
She breathed in his name as she leaned back and shut her eyes tightly. She didn't even know what to think anymore, since she could barely remember the past events and how she could have been in his house in such a situation. In fact, the only thing she could just barely grasp was her last thought of being brought to heaven. Tomoyo shook her head as she noticed everything wasn't even going as plan: that she was back in hell and she wasn't dead. She had a pounding headache and she had someone sleeping against her. How worse could it get?  
  
Sighing for what seemed like the thousandth time that night, she gently squeezed her way away from him and let him lean against the cushions behind him. Stumbling, she made her way to the front door and opened it, looking outside at the pouring rain. 'Well, you should just go home...' She thought as she stepped outside and in front the driveway where she was becoming completely soaked within the minute. Every other second thunder rolled in, stinging her ears and then lightening came dashing to the ground.  
  
Nothing looked familiar. She had no idea which way it was to get to her house and she just stared down the street trying to make sense of it all. She wanted to cry and just wait for someone to come and find her, but she was starting to get freaked out by the lightening because it was constantly hitting the ground, probably coming closer. She shook her head as she turned and watched the cement as she made her way to the door and inside, not even paying attention. It was then when she ran into Eriol.  
  
"Tomoyo." Eriol said quietly, as she stepped back a little bit and looked at him. She nodded, shrugging a little bit as she just made her way back to the living room and grabbed the blanket that he had let her use earlier. Quietly, she wrapped it around her soaking self and sat down on the couch without so much as a word, shivering softly. Eriol followed behind her and sat next to her.  
  
She wanted to hate him right now. After all, she could of just died and got it all over with he had to come along and find her. But for some reason, she wasn't even all that mad at him, and she didn't know why. "Damn rain," she mumbled as she pulled her drenched hair behind her ear. She even smiled very lightly, despite her situation.  
  
"You want to change?" He asked, kindly. His voice was soothing, almost warming her.  
  
"Yeah, well... I have nothing to change into." She said, pulling the blanket tighter around her petite form. Beneath it's fabric she could feel her clothes clinging to her body. He stood up and made his way toward the stairs, motioning her to come with him. She did, and followed him up to his room where everything was neat and organized. She stopped in the doorway, not sure if she should go in as he went to his closet and pulled out one of his black shirts. He tossed it to her, and she caught it, still holding that blanket around herself.  
  
"I don't have any shorts or anything that will fit you, hopefully this will do..." He said, but not that it mattered. He was easily taller than her; it probably could have been a dress on her small form. She gave him a small smile, still slightly embarrassed to go around without pants but couldn't stand to be running around in soaking clothes. She waited until he exited and then shut the door behind her, eyeing his room carefully as she began to undress and then slip the shirt over herself. He was right at least, the shirt lasted another inch of two below her knees.  
  
From downstairs, she heard the phone ring and paused dead still. For a moment, she listened in dead silence as she heard Eriol making his way toward the phone. She then dashed out of his room without even bothering to quiet and made her way to the edge of the stairs, where hers and Eriol's eyes met. He answered it, still watching her. "Hello? Oh, what can I do for you, Mrs. Daidouji?" Her eyes widened and mouthed 'I'm not here'. She waited until she heard him say that exact thing and then calmed down. A few moments later, he hung up.  
  
"Bring your clothes down, and that blanket for me, please." He said. She nodded and made her way back into his room where she got her clothes, and out of habit, folded them neatly and stacked them on each other. She then picked me up and took one more look around his room, before a pencil on his desk caught her attention. She snatched and then made her way back downstairs and handed the stack to him. "You don't mind me washing them, right?"  
  
"No." She said. He smiled, and she smiled in return as he went into another room and she took her usual seat on the couch. He then pulled her hair behind her and picked up the pencil and twisted it into her hair until it was in a somewhat messy bun, which didn't bother her at the moment; at least it was out of her face and not dampening the shirt she was wearing.   
  
Tomoyo then pulled her knees to her chest and pulled the shirt over that to cover her self up. She listened to the steady sound of rain hitting the window and looked around the room. Thunder clashed with lightening as she let her eyes scan. It was so weird, being in a house that she wasn't exactly used to. She even felt comfortable in here, despite where she always lived. She didn't even know why. With a sigh, she stopped. Her head was starting to hurt again.  
  
She was so alone right now. Eriol was gone off somewhere, and that left her only with her thoughts. At least now she could think about the previous actions of the day. She looked down at her wrist. Well, she had cut herself for some reason. Then she must have passed out because everything seemed to be a slight blur. Maybe she would of died. She shook her head, wondering why Eriol had to find her and then bring her here? Though, she had to admit that she liked it here with him.  
  
But everywhere else was just hell. She wrapped her arms around her knees and hugged them close to herself. One place where she could be content compared to every other place she hated. Earlier she had kind of admired Eriol for going out of the way to save her. But now she just wished that she would just died there. She buried her face in her knees.  
  
She couldn't even understand why he had to do that. Didn't he understand what she wanted? What she had been trying to succeed with this damn obsession? She couldn't come to a reason to how he could care about her, when even she didn't care about herself. What harm would it have done for her to die? In her own eyes she was just a stupid girl with no purpose in this world. What was she supposed to do? It wasn't like she was given a purpose. She knew she was useless.  
  
Quietly, she began to sop, dampening Eriol's shirt. She wanted to know why he had gone and saved her! She didn't understand, and it was starting to drive her insane. Didn't he realize that she was just useless to this world? "Why could you have just left me to die?" She whispered.  
  
"Because so many people care for you." He said as he made his way into the front room.  
  
"You're lying." She said as she glanced up at him and then put her face back down. No one understood that no one cared for her. How could someone care for you when you don't care for yourself? That didn't make sense in her mind. They all must have been torturing her, not caring.  
  
"Me."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I care about you." He said in a soothing tone as he knelt down in front of her. She shook her head quickly as she sniffled. 'No, you just want to torture me. That's what everyone wants to do to me is just torture me and make me believe every word you say and then laugh behind my back because I was so gullible. God, why can't I just die now?' she thought to herself.  
  
He kept eyeing her, waiting for her to look at him so he could catch her gaze.  
  
"You should of let me die!" She said through muffled sobs. She looked up slightly as she wiped her eyes with her hand and sniffled. Her own eyes a of a pink hue and no doubt hurt. She looked at him when she saw him staring at her with such a concerned look. He looked hurt, despite the fact that she knew, or at least she thought, that he was just trying to hurt her. She couldn't help but notice the fact that he looked so sincere.  
  
"You've got to trust me on that." He said so soft and caring that she could barely believe that anyone could say such a thing in such a way. She watched him as he got up from his kneeling position and stood next to her. He put he elbows down on he knees and looked down. "If that's all you can trust about me, then make it that. I know it's hard to believe, but I think that out of everyone in this world you can at least trust me. Take my word for it, because, hey, I'm here for you, no matter what you need and no matter how bad or how good your situation is.  
  
"I've gone down the same road you have, gone through the same state of mind you have, been through the same situations you have. I know exactly what you're feeling like right now, that the whole world would be so much better if you just died and that even if you did, no one would even have a care in the world for your death. But you're so wrong, Tomoyo... You have no idea how wrong you are.   
  
"And I know right now you're having the worst time believing that someone actually cares for you, and maybe if I cared, I would have let you die, right? I don't know what to tell you to that, except maybe that all of us fell as much pain as you do. A lot of people can honestly say they've been in your shoes and I bet you millions of those people are trying to overcome that. Devastating to know that some people can just give up." He shook his head lightly as he sat up, looking at her. She was watching him closely, almost trying to read his actions. He couldn't help but smile softly at her. "Sorry, I'm rambling." He watched as she looked away and around the living room, eyeing each picture and each thing that could possible mean something in their family, not crying but trying to get over the last one. A moment later, Eriol stood and made his way to the kitchen.  
  
Maybe he was right. As she scanned all the few pictures in that room, she couldn't help but think of her family right now, even if Eriol said nothing about family in his speech. There was on that particularly caught her eye; the whole family smiling, nothing false. They actually looked so happy to be in each other's presence. She remembered the pictures that were in her house, of her mom and her.  
  
To tell the truth, she didn't know exactly why she kept running off from her mom. All she had ever done was try and help, and it was obvious that she wasn't exactly used to the situations placed at hand because of her daughter, but at least she tried.  
  
She sighed as she realized how selfish she had been. Maybe no one really hated her like she thought. In fact, she even kind of felt bad for putting this all on Eriol and never actually knowing anything about him, his family, or even his past except for the that incident when they were in her back yard.  
  
It was actually hard for her to admit it, even to herself, after the whole incident with him, but she actually might have liked him. After all, why else would she suddenly feel so bad about not really getting to know him and being so selfish around him?  
  
It was so confusing, she knew. Everything was just starting to fall in place, the reason why she cried the first day he told her what had happened previously in his life, and how she couldn't hate him when she woke up, even through what she had thought about how everyone wanted to just torture her. She may have been mad, upset, hurt, but never once had she actually hated him... And she didn't understand why, until now, at least.  
  
It was such a strong feeling, too. So much that she wanted to just apologize for absolutely every little thing that she had ever done to make it hard for him, no matter how little or small. She wanted to shut off her life to be in his, to know what everyone that he cared about was life - she wanted to know every thing about him, and she wanted to know why he had spent so much time trying to help her out, even when she threw it back at him without even caring, and yet he just continued.   
  
She blinked as she realized that he had set down and was handing her a cup of hot honey milk. She smiled as she took it an uncurled herself, and relaxed against the couch. She then watched as he gave her an awkward look, almost as if asking if she was going to be all right. "Are you going to believe me now?" He said, finally.   
  
She nodded without even looking at him, smiling down at her drink instead as she took a sip of it. He smiled in return as the rest of the place went silent, each of them drinking their drink, Tomoyo continuously smiling just to let him know that she was grateful to be in his presence.  
  
It was already getting late, the sun dipping down beyond the horizon, but it didn't seem to matter in both of their minds, as long as they could spend it together. She quietly finished her drink in time with him and sat it down on the little table in front of her, with Eriol doing the same thing as she did right after.  
  
There was an awkward silence for a few moments as Tomoyo went over what she had been thinking only a few minutes before, about how she couldn't hate him and how he always did his best to help her and he didn't stop even when she threw his efforts back at him. Smiling softly, she looked at him. "Eriol?" He looked at her, waiting for her to say something more, but all she did was move over to him slightly and replace herself so that she was sitting on his lap, her head rested against his shoulder. "Thank you for everything."  
  
He looked at the girl in his arms, and smiled quietly at her and shook his head just lightly. She shut her eyes and just relaxed in his warm embrace, both of them so silent they could hear the sound of each other's heartbeats, beating in time with each other.  
  
The End. 


End file.
